


Partnering With A Timeline Fixer

by LionTheKing



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blueberry knows more than you think, Do You Remember, Fluff, Great Hiatus, I promise, Multi, Not part of a series, Other, THEY'RE ALWAYS DARK, Will include multiple timelines, age is about fifteen, chara is a flirtacious noodle, characters are hiding and tensions are rising, frisk is very selfish, have fun with the darkness, i lied about this story not being dark, it's not as dark as the last one, just small platonic dates, more confusing as you go, same protagonist as last time but not the same timeline, story will overlap with AMFTS, surprise! everything is confusing!, the maximum amount of sanses you will meet are about five, they pop up throughout the place, underswap - Freeform, will include a lot of glitter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-07-19 21:09:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 59,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7377463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LionTheKing/pseuds/LionTheKing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You're originally a monster from the surface. After an apocalypse has shaken the surface, your parents throw you down the mountain to save you. There's just one thing though. This timeline's not supposed to exist and you have don't have a choice between letting the monsters see the darkness or getting a ton of dust on your hands. The choice is not yours to make. And with that, you find yourself ending and beginning a whole new adventure...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thrown Down The Mountain

Formerly A Bad Idea

Who’s to say that saving your kin is all bad? It was for some people, but it’s best not to dwell on those simple ideas. The point is, we’re doomed. We’re all doomed. But your parents decided that you were worth saving. Point closed. But you so desperately wanted to ask why they decided to save you. You had nothing to offer. Why of all things did they decide to save you?

“Run! Quickly now!”

“Wait!”

“We have to keep going! We can’t stop until we reach the summit!” You couldn’t see anything, but you knew that someone was carrying you. Whoever it was, was breathing heavily, their short breaths coming in gasps. There was another person running with you. They were breathing harder than your carrier. 

“Come on! We’re close!” You heard the crush of the leaves now softening to that of running on soft grass. A deafening explosion shook the ground, the sound of trees being ripped from the ground ringing through the air. More explosions sounded off faraway, your carriers running faster. The flattening of grass turned to that of hard stone. You began to feel dizzy. 

“I’m sorry. We’re sorry. They’ll protect you in there. Be good, won’t you?” You began to feel a strong headache coming on. The presence of your carrier disappeared until there was nothing left but the emptiness. A cold breeze blew from your backside, your limp body falling into the dark abyss. You fell unconscious. 

 

It was a long while before you woke again, a soft and velvety material pushing through your paws. You opened your eyes. It was dimly lit in the cavern you were currently in, a dusty light shining from the hole in the surface. It looked so faraway. You got to your feet, stopping to notice the spots of blood on the golden petals beneath you. Were these… buttercups? Wait a second. You were bleeding. You pulled off your sweater, uncovering the white tank top underneath. A large spot of blood had stained your abdomen, a sharp stinging pain rising to the surface. You had no gauze, nor any bandages. It seemed a though there were thorns in the flower patch, you happening to fall on a large clump. You looked to see if you were right. Yep. There was a large vine of thorns hiding underneath the bed of golden flowers, the tips sparkling with your blood.   
You turned on your heel, gazing at the dark corridor to your right. It was dark that way, and from the sounds of it, something lay in wait. Whatever it was in there knew you were here. And from the sounds of it, they were coming for you. You could be a coward and hide or you could grow a pair and conquer the beast. You stepped forward, the pads on your paws echoing in the rocky cavern. The sound of stifled winds brought a sort of nostalgia to your mind, as if there was something in here that was familiar. You arrived into a room, a hole similar to the one in the last room. A large barren expanse of grass stood in the middle, surrounding by nothing but rocks. You turned to look into the shadows, your eyes scanning the darkness for anything sinister. You turned back around only to come face to face with a kid and a… cat...dog thing.

“Oh! Did you just recently fall into the Underground?”

“Wha-”

“Look, kid. You’re in danger here. Let us escort you safely through the Ruins.”

“Uh.” You were very confused. The kid had shoulder length, brown hair with tan skin. They didn’t seem to be expressing anything, but their hands certainly were. They wore a cerulean and purple sweater, dark navy shorts, black leggings, and dark gray boots. They wore a golden locket over their sweater and gripped a long kitchen knife. If anything, your senses were telling you to hit the road and not look back. But the cat-dog thing looked relatively… um. It had coarse white fur with a mane of slick gray hair. It wore a blue and yellow sweater and it also wore the look of a deranged serial killer. Huh. You see something new everyday.

“Don’t worry, we’re not gonna hurt you. Asgore’s running late, as usual. Him and his damn pies.” The creature beside you seemed to snarl lowly at his own comment, taking his place at your left side. 

“We’ll get you to Asgore. The old goat will take care of you. For now, that is.” The kid beside you took their place at your right side. You didn’t know if you trusted these people but they haven’t tried to hurt you yet. You walked with the two of them, leaving the dimly lit cavern behind.

“So what’s your name, anyway?” 

“My name? My name is Lion.” 

“That’s a weird name.” The kid beside you spoke in a slightly sarcastic tone.

“Oh? And what’s your names then?” The kid beside you suddenly looked nervous but the creature at your left had piped up.

“Oi. The name’s Temmie. Remember it. The doofus over there is Frisk.” 

“Who’s got the weird name now? Are you gonna get frisky? Is that the meaning behind your name?”

“Shut up, you butthead.” You stifled a laugh and kept on with the group. They weren’t bad company. You could bare their remarks. The dark hallway had lit up with a rich light. They’d arrived in a rich purple room, vines and tendrils of moss creeping up the walls. A pool of red petals sat in the middle of the floor, two staircases surrounding it.

“So who’s Asgore?” You were genuinely curious. Whoever he was, he sounded ditsy and forgetful. 

“Asgore is an old goat who took residence here a while ago. He’s ancient. Real ancient.” Temmie looked accomplished with his mockery. 

“The guy used to be a king, but retired when his wife decided to start killing all the humans. He was a good king, but the old bat he was partnered with had snapped. But he lives here now, and he feeds up pies every other day.”

“Pie?” 

“Do you not like pie?” Frisk and Temmie were now looking curiously at you. Ugh. Pie. It’s not that you didn’t like pie. You could eat some. And by some, the ones with meat. You couldn’t stand any pie that had fruit in it. The texture had that of slime and mucus, and it always made you gag. Ever since the day your mother forced you to eat pie, you avoided the stuff like the plague. Speaking of which, where were your parents? You couldn’t seem to recall.

“I can eat some, I just can’t stand the slimy texture of some.”

“Butterscotch-cinnamon pie is not slimy.” Frisk looked slightly peeved by your choice of words. Whatever. You can be picky about foods if you want. 

“And how am I supposed to know that? For all I know, you could’ve laced the thing with arsenic or cyanide.”

“Oh! Good idea kid! I’ll use that one for next time!” Temmie looked particularly pleased with your humored response.

“Sure, cool. Now can we get going already?” Frisk had lead you up the stairs, Temmie close behind. You opted to let them sit on your shoulder. They were pretty damn warm. The room had six panels, four on the sides and two in the middle. Before you could ask what that meant, Frisk had pushed down on the four side panels, the closed stone door, shaking with power. It suddenly slid open. Still following Frisk, they came into a room filled with levers. There seemed to be faded yellow marker on the wall, upon which pointed to certain levers when inspected. 

“Oh god. Let me handle this.” You silently giggled at the unknown pun, watching as Frisk pulled three levers down. You heard a rhythmic tapping somewhere further down the corridor. A spike bridge seemed to be retreating, each individual spike sinking further into its own hole until all of them were out of sight. You continued to follow Frisk, coming into a room with a small mannequin standing in the corner.

“Ignore the dummy, please.” Well, okay. You ignored the dummy, coming to the next room. Before you could say anything, a large figure approached the corner of you peripheral vision. 

“There you two are!” A large goat came stumbling around the corner, his tunic flying behind him. As he approached, you could make out his features better than before. He had a vast mane of golden hair, two large and curved horns poking out the tops with two long white ears draped across the black collar of his tunic. The large black tunic, which consisted of two black and white layers, had the main frame and a velvety black cape to match. He certainly didn’t look old. 

“I’ve been looking for you two for the longest time! Oh? Who’s your new friend?” He had a low and rumbling voice, soothing and calm. 

“This kid just sort of got in here, so we’re escorting them around the Ruins.” Frisk sounded strangely nonchalant about this whole ordeal. Temmie just nodded on your shoulder.

“I see. Should I contact your parents, child?” You still had no idea where your parents were. How did you get down here, and what were you gonna do now?

“To be honest, I think I lost my memory. I don’t know where my parents are, or how I got here. All I know is that I fell down a hole. That’s about it.”

“Wait. You fell down a hole? Like from the surface?” Frisk looked dubious. They didn’t believe you. Hell, even you didn’t believe yourself. 

“Yeah. I fell from this hole in the top and landed on some flowers. That’s the only thing I remember, apart from the whole pie incident.” You shuddered. That rhubarb pie had you feeling nauseous for days. 

“I see. Well then. You'll just have to stay with us until you regain your memories. Is that alright with you?” You didn’t know how to feel about a strange monster family taking you in.

“By the way, if you refuse, we’ll just come back and take you ourselves.”

“Frisk, that is very rude!”

“What? I’m only stating the facts.” They eagerly awaited your response to their question. You gave a low sigh. You supposed you could stay with them a while. But no longer than a week. You knew that unwanted company was a nuisance, and that you’d find a way out soon. 

“I guess I can stay a little longer. It’s not like I have a choice anyway.” Frisk shot you a victorious smirk, the first expression that they’ve expressed during your short time here. Temmie gave a bout of quiet laughter, but Asgore looked strangely… giddy? 

“Well then! Let us be on our way!” With that, you let the elderly goat take the lead, you, Frisk, and Temmie following close behind. The next room you came into had an empty corridor followed by a long bridge of spikes. Welp. You were about to propose turning back and waiting until tomorrow but the others seemed to have the right idea. Asgore had stepped onto the bridge, a bed of spikes rapidly lowering at his footstep. This continued for the next bed and the next, until he safely made it across. Frisk had grabbed your paw, leading you in the same steps that Asgore had showed you until you made it across. The spikes heightened in your absence, the steel tips sharp and glistening with the froth of the water.  
The next room had an insanely long corridor, decorated with nothing but an out of place pillar at the end of the room. You’d walked forward, the group following until you’d reached the pillar. 

“Hey Asgore. Can we not do the puzzles? We can save them for later, show em’ to the kid once this whole ordeal blows over.” Temmie was right. Frisk had been whispering something about a cluster of puzzles awaiting you in the long run. You didn’t hate puzzles, but you’d prefer if you didn’t have to do them. Temmie had jumped off of your shoulder. 

“I suppose. Follow me children.” Asgore had produced a small golden key from his pocket, and stepped up to a rather large crack in the wall. He moved the key into the crack, turning it with a small click. A mystery lock had opened, causing the wall to give way towards a tunnel. It was brightly lit inside, torches dotting the walls on either sides. It was warm. The three of you followed Asgore through this long tunnel, the tunnel sometimes having to stairs to traverse, or wrapping around in a loop. In one part, you could hear the flow of water pass the walls. It wasn’t long before you found yourself in a small three way. Asgore had pulled you in the left direction, the four of you coming to a small cottage that was built into the wall.   
You suddenly weren’t sure of this, attempting to back up only to bump into Frisk. 

“He’s not going to trap you in there, you baby. Now come on. It’s much nicer in there than it is out here.” Frisk had grasped your paw, pulling you into the warm house. It had a nice golden light to it, the house smelling of the rumored butterscotch and cinnamon pie. It was a gift to your nose, the sweet scent banishing your headache. 

“Come on. It’s going to take a while. We have an extra bed in here.” You’d remained silent the whole ordeal, following Frisk and Temmie down the hall to the right. Three doors dotted the corridor. 

“This one.” Frisk pulled you into a room, the dim light in here contrasting with your eyes. It had a dark red wallpaper and smelled of crayon wax and tea. Temmie was resting on a bed to the left side of the room, an amber eye watching you as Frisk pushed you onto the bed on the right of the room.

“You can have that bed. I’ll just pester Temmie over here.” Temmie was about to say something but stopped, and lay their head back on the nearby pillow in defeat. The wall next to you was filled in with stuffed animals and giant pillows. The lamp in the corner was on, the dim light filtering into the room. It felt cozy and here. 

“It’ll take a while for Asgore to bake the pie, so you can sleep if you want. We’re gonna go out into the Ruins.” With that, Frisk had lifted Temmie onto their shoulders and headed out into the halls, closing the door behind them. It felt strangely empty now that they were gone. You laid your head back against the headboard, your paws moving towards your tail. When you were having a bad time, you normally just tweaked your tail. It normally did the trick. You felt your breathing slow and your eyes shut. Before you knew it, you’d fallen asleep, the silence ringing in your ears.


	2. A New Friend Appears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon staying with goat dad, you begin to have some strange dreams. A strange person appears and tells you things in your sleep. How will you react to this new development?

The Forest Of Static

The loud sound of static began to fill in the cavity of your head, the harsh noise giving you a fierce headache. You could feel something pounding on the back of your head, become stronger by the minute. The feeling of touch, ghosts over the tip of your tail, something strong grabbing onto it. You tried to move. Nope. You were most definitely stuck in place. Something was there with you. It wasn’t just your paranoia. You felt something sharp prick the bottom of your paws, the sensation painful. Your knees were threatening to give out, the breath in your lungs becoming lesser and lesser until you couldn’t breath. You tried calling for help but no noise issued from your throat. You were fucked.   
It wasn’t until a firm hand clamped down onto your left shoulder. You tried to squirm out of their grasp but to no avail.

“well. look who we have here.” You couldn’t say anything back to the person behind you. Their voice seemed to surround you, alternating and reverberating with pitch, the background still filled with static. You couldn’t see anything and the pounding in your head was becoming more worse. 

“heheheh. let’s not waste any more time than we have to.” The figure had spun you around, you still not being able to regain your movements. You could only open your eyes. The figure in front of you looked to be in pain. It looked to be a skeleton, their skull a dark shade of red and black mixed together. A sea of tears constantly fell from their eye sockets, a bright pinprick of yellow and cyan light against a backdrop of bright red. They wore a black jacket that mostly covered up everything inside. His eyes were narrowed at you, as if in disgust and loathing.   
He seemed to hold you in place with thin strings of what appeared to be magic. You felt a sharp pulling pain in your chest as your SOULS erupted from their place, the two pulsing rapidly in fear. You had two SOULS. One was a monster soul, the hue, a dark and stormy gray. You had the strength of a boss monster but you never used it. The other was a human soul, a mutation you’d been born with. The glassy case contained the flickering scarlet fire within. You felt a sharp tug on your SOULS, you being unable to cry out in pain.

“do you know why you’re here?” The guy’s voice with deep with unsaid anger, echoing in the still void. The bright white was beginning to hurt your eyes. You couldn’t move your head, and opted for just plain staring the guy down. 

“oh. you can’t move, can you?” He seemed to be taking delight in your paralysis, pulling tighter on the strings that encased your small frame. Once again, you couldn’t struggle, but could only remain limp in the grasp of his strings.

“here. let me help you with that.” The pounding in your head had vanished, along with the funny sensation of being tickled on the neck. You could move again. You took in a long gasp of breath, blinking rapidly to help your eyes adjust to the bright backdrop. The figure spoke again.

“so. do you know why you’re here?”

“I haven’t got a clue.” You weren’t trying to be sarcastic but you couldn’t help it. Your dream self was sometimes automatically sassy.

“do you know where we are?” 

“In the void, I think.”

“close guess, but no. we’re in the anti-void. here’s a better question: how do you know about the void?” You honestly had no idea. You had faint memories of going into the void in your dreams a long time ago, but that was impossible. You remember there being a large expanse of inky black darkness. There was a man in there. Or so you thought. Was your mind playing tricks on you.

“I think I’ve been there before.”

“you think but you don’t know?”

“Dude. I just want to go back to regular sleep. I didn’t ask to be brought here to this land of nothingness. Whatever quarrel you have with me, I haven’t the foggiest clue about.” 

“well that’s just it. you really did lose all of your memories, didn’t you?” You didn’t answer as the skeleton had paused for a second. You were still held tightly in the strings, you tail laying limp on the floor. 

“you’re not supposed to be here, ya’ know. you're not in your correct timeline.”

“Not in my correct timeline? I mean, you’re right, I did lose all of my memories and I don’t know how I got into the Underground, but coming from another timeline? That sounds a bit strange, don’t you think?”

“i don’t find it strange it all. i often come across glitches in the multiverse, but never one as puzzling as you.”

“So you’re saying that I’m very difficult to solve? Well, be my guest because I can’t seem to solve my own puzzles either.” You shut your eyes, breathing slower and relaxing. 

“i’m surprised you don’t remember anything. space, the soul fragments, the coma, the ocean, nothing. of course, those were many timelines ago, and you actually served a purpose in those timelines. but here? your life has no purpose in this universe. for all the universes to explore and all the timelines to drop into, you picked the stupidest one yet.”

“So i’m not supposed to be here, huh?”

“pretty much, but it’s not like i can take you out of this timeline. you have to finish it yourself. believe me, i’d destroy you if i could, but your dream would end if i dared to lay a phalange on you.”

“If this is a dream, why can’t I wake up?”

“because I’m keeping you here stupid. this won’t be our last meeting either so prepare yourself whenever you go to sleep. also, i have one small thing to ask of you before i let you wake up.”

“And what would that be?”

“keep a close eye on Frisk and don’t hurt anybody. as much as i loathe this glitchy universe, i’d hate the see the innocent be harmed. you wouldn’t kill anyone, would you?”

“Wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“i’ll be keeping an eye socket on you. Until next time, then.” The static began to pool in your head again, the pressure on the back off your skull building and building until… 

With a gasp, you woke up. You were flushed with cold sweat, your hair sticking out in multiple places. Your breathing was heavy and harsh, the task of breathing being difficult at this time. You hurriedly rubbed the residue off your eyes, spotting something across the room from you. Bright red eyes seemed to peer at you from across the room, unnerving and watching. You could faintly smell the scent of butterscotch wafting around the room. You looked around, spotting the floor beside you on the nightstand. It looked as if it’d been sitting there for a while. Before you could get out of bed, the pair of eyes had gotten much closer, a foot away from your own.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Shit. It was only Frisk. Huh. Their eyes were a nice shade of red, now that you got a closer look. You gave a sigh and flopped back onto the bed, feeling the stains of sweat. Eugh. 

“Sort of. It was just really weird.”

“Temmie and I got back a while ago, but Temmie opted to check on the pie. Asgore went out to the store for something. If you’re going back to sleep that’s fine, but-” A loud creak had startled the both of you into leaping back against the headboard. It was only Temmie.

“Papa goat is back. Just wanted to let you know.” With that, Temmie had disappeared down the hallway. 

“AS I WAS SAYING, if you’re planning on going back to sleep, me and Temmie are gonna finish off the pie.”

“Have at it.”

“Score!” Frisk had swooped on the pie at your nightstand and scrambled out the door, yelling something at Temmie to ‘not eat the rest of the pie, you fat lard’. You flopped onto the bed again, wrapping yourself in the comforters until you became a burrito. You couldn’t move your arms but you were most definitely comfortable. The mahogany door had creaked open a second time. Asgore had stepped in, holding a bag of something with a pot holder.

“I hope I am not- what are you doing, child?” His expression immediately became sarcastic as he watched your futile attempts at unwrapping your burrito blankets.

“I’m a burrito. This is clear to see.” He started to shake with laughter.

Yes, but why?”

“Because, I didn’t chose the burrito life. The burrito life took my hand and whispered ‘run’.” But that’s not to say you weren’t extremely comfortable. You tail stuck out at the end of the burrito, making it difficult to roll anywhere without running over your tail. The struggle.

“Well then. When you’re done being a burrito, come out into the living room. You might want to change into these as it’s colder this time of year.” With that, papa goat had left the room, leaving you to do whatever it is that burritos do when they’re all alone. You finally succeeded at unwrapping yourself, the cool air washing over your sweaty frame. It was only then that you noticed what you were wearing. It was a bloody sweater, the tank top underneath, no stranger to your injury. You pulled your sweater over your head, the sharp smell of metal stinging your nose. You then pulled off your bloody tank top, checking the wound on your abdomen. It had scabbed over. Good. You went to check the bag that Asgore had left you, digging inside to come across some various clothing. Inside was another white tank top, a dark navy blue sweater, a dark gray scarf, gray shorts, and silver leggings. What was it with people and leggings? You put on the tank top and covered it with the sweater. Swapping out your beaten shorts for the gray shorts, you put on the silver leggings underneath. They restricted your claws but they felt like velvet on the inside. The sweater sagged down to your knees, the inside lined with white faux fur. The scarf, upon which was way to big for you and which covered your mouth, had tiny embellishments on the middle. You were swaddled in comfort. It was nice of Asgore, even if he didn’t have to do this. You could’ve survived with your bloody clothes.

 

In was a fast paced race with Frisk to see who could complete all of the puzzles first. Temmie and Asgore watched to see who was quicker. Frisk was currently in the lead, using their small size to launch themselves under things. The two of you came to the long corridor from before. This was where you passed. You launched yourself forward, passing Frisk in their futile attempts to keep up with you. You sped forward skidding to the left as you made a sharp turn. Another sharp turn to the right. The breeze from your run made the red petals in the room scatter into the air. You raced into the next room, shoving the rock into place as the spikes pulled themselves back. As soon as you crossed the grate, the rock moved back into it’s place. You were now in the lead, leaving Frisk to complete the previous puzzle. The next room you came upon had multiple holes in the floor with only one way to solve them. You skipped this one, launching yourself across the many platforms until you got safely onto the landing. The next room had taken a lot longer, Frisk catching up while you had to coax the third rock into moving onto the panel.   
As soon as the edge of the rock touched the panel, you took off, Frisk following closely in pursuit. The winner would get the chocolate bar in the fridge. The next room had two levers to flip, hidden under the floorboards. You jumped into the second one, forcefully pulling it down. You raced up to stairs to discover that Frisk had found the second lever. The spike bridge had lowered and off you two went, shoving and pushing against each other to secure the lead.   
The next rooms had required you to push a certain colored lever, all the while opening incorrect ones to trap each other in. You were so close. The burnt tree was almost in your grasp. Something suddenly flew by your side, crossing the finish line before you could even reach the tree.

 

“Huzzah! I have won the challenge!” You were laying on the cold ground, gasping for breath. Frisk must’ve been pretty desperate for that chocolate. You picked yourself off the ground, checking for any bruises from the race. There wasn’t.

“Maybe next time, Lion.” 

“Yeah, sure.” You gave a yawn, the sharp tips of your canines poking out. Rubbing your eyes, you started into the small cottage. You were more tired than you thought. The whole day had consisted of Asgore showing you how puzzles worked, and the system of monsters. You would always spare monsters, no matter how bad. It’s not like you enjoyed killing innocent monsters. Asgore had shut the door, the warm air inside swirling around the room. It made you really sleepy.

“You appear to be tired, young one. It is past dusk after all. After you’ve had your dinner, you may rest. I’ve prepared it early. You all sat at the large dining table, Asgore placing steaming plates of food before you. It was green beans, with a side of imitation meat and some various pieces of cauliflower. You felt bad for making Asgore work so hard to cook for you all. But then again, he always looked so happy whenever he was taking care of you. You slowly ate your cauliflower, those being the absolute worst. The green beans were fine but the imitation meat reminded you of something familiar. You just couldn’t put your claw on it. 

“Leave your plate where it is. I’ll pick it up once everyone is done. Goodnight.”

“Night, papa goat.” You were too tired to pay attention to Asgore’s shocked face, heading straight towards the bed in a sleepy haze. You slowly opened the bedroom door, dragging yourself towards the bed, the comforters calling to you. You collapsed onto the bed, wrapping yourself in your comforters like a burrito, once more. Sleep came easy that night.   
That’s not to say that a certain someone didn’t come to visit. He had warned you after all. You felt the dull throb of pain in the back of your head, the metallic sound of static filling the empty space where your dream was supposed to be. The sound was softer and less painful than last time. You opened your eyes, the white anti-void swimming in your vision. It was just as bright as last time. But this time, you weren’t secured with those periwinkle strings. You got to your paws, stretching your arms over your head. A satisfying ‘pop’ rang out into the surrounding void. You stretched the other way, your spine popping back into place. The act was strange but so satisfying.

“are you gonna stop, or…” Oh look. It was that guy again. He looked to be holding a box of some sort, the yellow light from inside dimming and brightening between intervals. 

“Yeah, I’ll stop. I’ve already aligned everything, anyway.”   
“welp. come over here for a sec. i want to show you something.” You padded over to the guy. The guy? You never got the guy’s name. You little weirdo.

“I just remembered that I never got your name, the last time I was here. I don’t want to keep showing up and referring to you in my mind as ‘the guy’.” The said guy looked slightly perplexed but replied in a cool manner.

“Eh? just call me error. anyway, take a look at this.” You gazed at the box in Error’s hand, seeing many things all at once. Inside the box, lay many number lines. There was a cursor showing fast or slow movements on the various lines. One seemed to stop and the line split in two, disappearing into the background. Another seemed to branch off into many other lines, multiple cursors coming to fill in the gaps.

“these are your timelines, kid. You are currently on-” Error stopped to point at a short line, the cursor moving ever so slowly along it’s course.

“-this timeline. every timeline that is in the box is one that you have or will appear in. the one that split? that’s a timeline you’ve already completed. the one’s that are still moving? those are the one’s in which you’re still participating in.”

“I don’t get it. If I’m not supposed to be in this timeline, then why is this timeline in that box?”

“it’s because this whole timeline is one big anomaly. and you get to decide on what happens next.” You glanced at the stock still cursor, the timeline becoming blurred the longer you gazed at it. The static had seemed to fill in the void, Error disappearing into the background. You could still hear him though.

“and sooner or later, you’ll have to make that tough decision, kit. until next time.” The static had completely taken over, the dull throbbing in your head turning into a harsh pain. The darkness had began to swim in your vision, a black void securing your conscious.

“until next time…”


	3. Woken By A Nightmare-Like Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After visiting Error again, you go on a walk to clear your thoughts. Frisk decides to tag along, and with them, a new set of questions arise in your head.

Something Forgotten

You’d woken up in a frenzied panic, the beads of cold sweat rolling down your back. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, clutching the bedsheets which were soaked with your sweat. You ran a paw through your hair, your claws digging into your scalp. You needed to get out for a bit. It felt stifling, your fur sizzling at its roots. You hauled yourself out of bed, ignoring the pair of curious red eyes that watched you from across the room.   
You opened the door quietly, not a peep issuing from the old hinges. As you closed the door, you noticed that it was opened wider than you’d left it. Strange. You could hear Asgore’s soft snores from the room over. You quietly padded over to the front door, the quiet click of your claws echoing in the living room. You opened the front door and quickly shut it. The icy cold blast of air that hit you was relieving. It sure was dark out here.

“What'cha doin’ out here?” You started, tumbling backwards onto your back. Ugh. A tan hand had grabbed at your right paw, pulling you up. You scrambled to your paws, dusting off the dirt from your sweater, in which, you were still wearing. Right. You were too lazy to change into your nightgown. You gave a quiet yawn, it sounding more like a pitiful squeak.

“Just… going for a walk, is all.”

“A walk huh? I’m gonna tag along.” Frisk had indeed tagged along, hooking their arm around yours. As much as you wanted to tell them to leave you to yourself, they had asked nicely. You just hoped they could handle the dark.

“Was it a nightmare?”

“Huh?”

“Was it a nightmare? I know it was, because you just sort of, bolted awake.”

“I don’t really know what to call it.” Error didn’t bother you. It’s more like your body naturally responded like that. Oh dear god, you hoped you weren’t thrashing in your sleep.

“Really? What did you dream of?”

“Well…”

“It’s alright. You can tell me. I would’ve pestered you about it in the morning anyway.”

“Okay. I was in this white void, and there was this guy there.”

“A guy?”

“Yeah, a guy. He looked to be a skeleton, I think. Said to call him, Error.”

“You’ve met Error?!” Frisk looked fearful and somehow excited at the same time. 

“Uh, yeah? Have you had a similar dream like it?”

“Hmm, nah. There’s something I was going to say but I forgot it, so yeah.”

“Well, alright.” The walk was long, you sometimes stopping to gaze into the ponds of the ruins. It was quiet. Where you really wanted to go was back to the first cavern. The one full of those golden flowers. You’d managed to drag Frisk there, staying out of the flowers but standing in the moonlight. Even if you couldn’t see the moon, you knew it was there.

“You came from the surface, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But you forgot everything, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you ever want to go back up there again?”

“I… don’t know.” Frisk had stopped looking up at the hole to gaze at you. Their red eyes sparkled in the moonlight, mischievously. You could only hope to regain your memory, the pieces just not falling into place. 

“We should go back now. Asgore will notice if we’re not there for too long. Come on.” With that, Frisk had latched onto your arm, dragging you back through the catacombs. Along the way, you traced the pattern work of the walls, your amber eyes dragging along the cracks. 

“By the way, are you planning on staying with Asgore?”

“To be honest, I don’t know anymore.”

“Well, if you’re not, can you do something for me?”

“It depends. What kind of thing are we talking about?”

“A journey.”

“A journey?”

“Yeah! A journey! We could adventure through the rest of the Underground! We’d just have to get Asgore’s permission first. I can’t go because I’m not strong enough to fend off the other monsters. But you're a monster right? You can prove him wrong and use magic! You could defend the both of us, right? What do ya’ say?”

“Hmm.” Frisk looked really hopeful, their red eyes duplicating sheer hope for you to say yes. On one hand, you could venture around the Underground anyway, or go adventuring with Frisk while staying with Asgore. Each was tempting on it’s own. You eventually decided.

“Fine. But only if Asgore agrees that we can go.”

“Yes! Thank you! I’ll totally get Asgore to let us adventure. Thank you, sis!” Frisk had took off towards the house, you motioning to them that you’ll be back inside soon. They quietly closed the door behind them. Wait. Did they just call you sis? You shook your head, clearing away the weird thoughts. It was probably just a slip of the tongue. You headed back inside, opening and closing the door quietly behind you. Asgore’s quiet snores could still be heard from his room. Must be a heavy sleeper. You slipped into your room with the slyest of silence, resting back upon your bed. If anything, you had to find something to do. You didn’t know what would happen if you were to fall asleep again.   
You tried to consult your imagination, or frankly, anything that would help to take your mind off the cold sweat still dripping down your back. Frisk, who’d now fallen asleep, was oblivious to your inside panic. You could choose to think of anything, but now, surrounded by your amnesia and your nightmares, you were truly helpless. So you chose to wait out the storm, pulling yourself under the covers, sweater and all. You could just gaze into the darkness and the darkness would surely gaze back, right? You weren’t too sure. It was just you and the empty silence.

 

“Hey! Hey, get up!” But you were already up. You’d taken to pretending to be asleep, hearing Asgore’s wake not even an hour ago. Of course, you heard Frisk wake up earlier but you certainly didn’t hear Temmie. You faked waking up, a fake yawn at the ready. Frisk had turned on the lamp in the room, the artificial light, burning the shit out of your corneas. You groaned at the sudden change of lighting, flopping back down into bed. 

“Get the heck up! Breakfast is ready and I convinced Asgore to fight you!”

“Wait, what?” 

“Hurry up or i’ll eat your pancakes!” With that, Frisk took off down the hall. You hauled yourself out of bed, the hardwood floors creaking under your weight. It certainly didn’t do that a couple hours ago. You didn’t need to change, so you opted for running your paws through your hair. It always got the job done. You stepped out into the hallway, the brighter light out here absolutely scorching your poor eyes. You hissed in pain, dragging yourself across the parlor and into the dining room. 

“Hey! You actually got out of bed!”

“Mmf. Where’s Temmie?”

“Right here, you idiot!” You rubbed the bags under your eyes, Frisk leading you towards your seat. Asgore was busy in the kitchen, doing something sinister or, at least of the like. You sat down, the giant wooden chair engulfing you. You were tiny but you could reach the high cabinets. No stools today! In front of you sat a plate , filled the brim with pancakes, hash browns, and eggs. It smelled like the heavenly holy grail. You began to tuck in, the food filling the pit in your stomach and erasing your sleepiness.

“So I hear you plan on going on a journey.” Asgore had came out of the kitchen with his own plate, a much bigger helping to appease his appetite. 

“Yup.”

“Has Frisk told you what you must do to gain permission?”

“I shall spar with dignity, goat father!” Asgore gave a low chuckle, ruffling the tufts of hair on your head. You involuntarily puffed up, your fur rising to make you look like a cuddlesome ball of fluff. Frisk began to wildly giggle underneath the table. Temmie cackled with laughter. Asgore laughed harder, ruffling your fur roughly.

“I’m sure you will. You two will merely watch while we spar. Until then, prepare yourself, young one.” Asgore had started on his breakfast, leaving you, Frisk, and Temmie to your shenanigans. You went straight for the door. 

“Where are you going?” Frisk had called from the parlor, Temmie riding on their shoulder.

“Out to practice!”

“Ok.” You took off and out the door, knowing the perfect place to go train. It was the courtyard with the spike bridge, the one across from the room with the dummy. They never said much. You started with basic charge up, gathering large balls of fire in your paws. The scarlet flames burned intensely, the heat fluffing up your ear fluff. You increased the temperature, the flames going from scarlet, orange, golden, blue, and finally to white. You had to use both paws to hold this fire, its flames so intense that the wall you were near, started to melt slightly. You dimmed the flames, the leftover embers glowing in your paws. You started to revolve around the field, casting your fire at the walls across from you. Sometimes, you hit your target, while other times, you missed them, but only slightly.   
You were trying to catch your breath. You’d used little magic but you were already tired. Whew. If anything, your spar with Asgore was going to be difficult. You called it a day. Setting off back towards the house, you thought to your decision. You didn’t want to truly fight Asgore, tooth and nail. Merely show him that you were strong. The burned birch tree came into view, and with it, the silhouettes of three people.

“It’s about time you showed up! We were getting tired of waiting!”

“Are you ready to spar, young one?” Jeez, you thought that you’d get a warning before you got ambushed but apparently, you were wrong. You took up position directly across from Asgore, the silence deafening. 

“The first one to give up loses. That is all. Ready?” Wait. That was all? 

“Yep!”

“START!” Frisk and Temmie seemed to be enthusiastic about cheering you on. Probably because you were their one way ticket to freedom. You leaped to the side as a stray fireball went whizzing past. You could feel its heat from a foot away. Oh. It’s on. You readied a blazing white fireball with your right hand, tossing it weakly to test Asgore’s reflexes. He easily dodged it. His turn now. He readied more fireballs, the projectiles racing towards you. You dodged them and readied your next move. Your turn. You gathered a horde of magic into a wall of fire, the flames, golden and scorching. You threw out your arm, the wall of fire’s layers each moving at a different speed. Asgore ended up being caught in it, the middle and lower layers hitting him at different angles. It went like this for much too long, the room smelling of ash and charcoal. It was time to end this. Your turn. You gathered a bigger horde of magic, shaping it until it threw itself out. It was a minion. You apparently had enough power to use this. You created more, lining the walls with the minions until each pawstep of the floor was covered in them. Each began to charge up their beams, the static in the background growing louder and louder until.

“Break! I’m calling it quits!” Asgore had given up, his arms going back down to his sides. The hem of his cape with singed with your fire, the frill at the bottom burned and still hot.

“You’ve proven your strength, young one. I think a reward is in order. Follow me.” You were dead tired, and nodded wearily. 

“NGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH-” It seemed that Frisk and Temmie had been supporting you the whole time, the duo jumping up and down in happiness. You gave a small smile. The two were adorable when they were happy.


	4. Passing Your Trials To Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After besting Asgore in battle, he permits your trio to explore outside of the Ruins. The only rules being: to protect each other and to be home before dusk. You go out into the snow, only to be faced with a quick decision.

A Place To Call Home

Asgore had led the trio into the house, the scent of cinnamon-butterscotch pie wafting in the air. He’d excused himself for something, stepping into his own room, leaving the door open behind him.

“Are you ready to explore, Lion?” Frisk looked generally excited, their red eyes sparkling with mirth. Temmie was equally excited, their tiny paws continuously moving in place. You couldn’t say the same. What was the rest of the Underground like? Was it scary? You had so many questions yet to be answered. Asgore had came back into the room, carrying a variously colored bundle in his arms.

“Here we are. I want each of you to change into these. Except you Temmie. You get a sweater and a shield.” Asgore had handed you and Frisk robes, and Temmie, a huge red sweater and a tiny metal shield. You took Asgore’s room while Frisk took their own room. Taking off your sweater and shorts, you slipped on the rich purple tunic. It had velvety white sleeves with a dark purple insignia on the front. There were multiple layers underneath the main fabric of the dress, the layers of silk, keeping your legs warm. Your silver socks could remain, them making the dress better. As much as you loathed dresses, you could tolerate wearing this one. The garment seemed to flow around you. You opened the door out into the hallway, closing the door behind you. 

“Oh my. You look lovely in that dress, my child.”

“Yeah. You actually don’t look like an idiot.” Wow, Temmie. Way to ruin the compliment. Frisk had soon stepped out after you, their dress being the same as yours, but shorter. After compliments were exchanged, Asgore had called you all to the parlor, and told you to wait a little bit. After about five minutes, Asgore had came back with a fresh pie and a couple of bags. Each of you were handed a bag: Frisk got a red messenger bag, Temmie got a small blue messenger bag, and you got a large yellow messenger bag.

“In case you happen to find something interesting on your adventure, put it in the messenger bags. Here. Frisk, you’re in charge of guarding the pie." Asgore had given the humongous pie to Frisk, helping them arrange the pie in their messager pie. You wondered what Temmie was gonna do with that tiny shield. Heh. It was a funny thought. 

“Come with me.” Asgore began to lead you three down the stairs. You’d never been done here, as Asgore had usually told you to just ignore it. The stairs were softly carpeted, the pieces getting in between your toes. It tickled. He kept leading you down a narrow corridor, small torches lining the wall. Instead of just dirt walls, the walls down here were neatly tiled, the walls smooth and cold. You soon came to a large door, the insignia on your dress displayed on the two doors. 

“Woah.”

“When you are done adventuring, make sure to come back and knock on the door. Five knocks is the password. Please be sure to stay safe. Lion, make sure to guard them and to keep an eye on them. Come back here before dusk, please. Have a safe trip.” With that, Asgore had embraced you all in a tight hug, and before you knew it, it was over, and Asgore had pushed open the giant doors. You all waved goodbye to goat dad, and took off down the long corridor.   
Another huge door had came into view, thinner than the other door but heavy nonetheless. You and Frisk pushed it open, an icy breeze blowing through your hair. You gazed out of the door. It was very… desolate. The tall and ashy trees loomed on either side of you, fresh snow blanketing everything in sight. The howl in the wind made itself known, ruffling the layers of your tunic and sweeping the hair out of your face. You stepped out into the snow, Frisk and Temmie shortly following after you. You pushed the giant door back into place, the thing locking from the inside. Goat dad sure knew how to keep a place secured.

“You guys think there's any rapists around here?”

“Dude. That was totally uncalled for.”

“Frisk’s right. There could totally be serial killers or rapists around these parts. We must stay close to each other.”

“I agree with that notion. If any of you see something strange, let me know.”

“What’re you gonna do? Scorch it to death?” Frisk stop being sarcastic.

“Oh, I’ll do more than that.” You left it at a lingering threat, as you wanted to make sure that Frisk and Temmie were safe.

“So you’re our legal guardian as of now, right?” You suppose that Frisk was right, as Temmie was just going along with the ride. 

“I guess? I mean, I have to use my magic to keep all the bad people away so yeah, I am your legal guardian as of now. Bow down to me, peasants.”

“Oh! Hey Lion!”

“Hmm?” Suddenly, something cold and hard hit you directly in your right ear. You shook your head to clear the cold, the clumps of snow a dead giveaway at Frisk’s scheme. You dropped to the ground, spraying snow as you hurled yourself into the shadows of the trees. Being as quiet as possible, you scooped up a huge ball of snow, locking onto your target. Frisk was wandering in plain sight, Temmie attempting to hide in their hair. You suddenly launched your snowball, the thing nailing Temmie right in the side, sending them flying off of Frisk’s shoulders and into the snow.

“Wha-” Before Frisk had time to react, you launched another snowball, this one hitting them dead in the face. Temmie was struggling to retaliate, their tiny paws unable to scoop up any snow. Frisk had thrown one in defense, the ball sailing past your left ear. You dodged their next one, gathering a huge wad of snow in your paws. As soon as they turned their back, you sprang up beside them, shoving the huge wad of snow down the back of their tunic. Frisk gave a loud screech and fell into the snow. You heard a small plop of snow fall near your paws. You turned immediately. Temmie was sitting in the snow, an ‘oh shit’ expression on their face. You gathered a snowball in your paws, slowly walking towards them. Temmie began to rapidly back up.

“C-come on Lion. W-we can t-talk this out, right?” You walked even closer, a crazy grin growing on your muzzle.

“R-right?” 

“ANARCHY.” And you launched the snowball at Temmie, the snowball hitting them in the face. You were fierce with snowball fights, no mercy for anyone. The force of the snowball hit them so hard, that their body flew back from the sheer power of your throwing power. You began to laugh, Temmie getting up and attempting to retaliate. Frisk had just given up, watching as you cackled victoriously. You were the king of snowball fights.

“Alright. Alright. Now can you help me up?”

“Sure. Why not?” You extended a paw towards Frisk, who then took your paw, pulling you forcefully towards the ground. You slipped on your paws, and fell onto your stomach. Before you knew it, both Frisk and Temmie had climbed onto your back, attempting to hold you down in the snow.

“Who’s the winner now?”

“Definitely still me.” You hauled yourself to your paws, Frisk scrambling for purchase on your back. Temmie had been riding on Frisk’s shoulder so he was still aboard the party train. Soon, Frisk was just piggybacking on your back, Temmie riding on your head. You were pretty warm, besides the point that you were sucking the heat out of your friends. You may have been slightly cold and covered in snow, but it was still fun. You had yet to see anybody around these parts, your magic still ready for use, if necessary. You continued down your original path, the snow looking as if it’d been shoveled to the side. So people did live out in these parts. You kept walking, missing the large branch in the snow that had been covered in snow. As you kept walking, you heard a large crack, Frisk jumped in fear, and Temmie dug their tiny claws into your hair. You turned around, your fire magic flaring up in your paws. The scarlet flames danced in the wind, the embers sizzling in the fresh snow.

“If anybody’s out there, it’s best to show yourself, now.” You quietly waited, using your nose to sniff out any foreign scents. Nothing. 

“Frisk, keep an eye out in the back. Temmie, scan the sides. I’ll guard the front.” You continued walking, your paws slightly sinking into the snow with each pawstep. If there was anybody following you, you’d burn them until they were nothing but ashes. You’d promised Asgore that you would protect your friends, and by damn you would. You kept on, a strange figure looming in the distance. The path seemed to go on forever, the snow falling harder and harder until it was incredibly hard to see the path. You felt Frisk shivering on your back, Temmie snuggling deeper in between you and Frisk.

“Hey. Do you guys want to go back?”

“Y-yeah. Let’s just… come back tomorrow.” 

“Let’s definitely do that!” With assurance from the rest of the group, you made a full turn on your heels, starting towards the opposite direction. You’d been walking for a while before you bumped into something. The object was about a head smaller than you, and it was hard and rough. You quickly backed up, your magic flaring up in your paws once more. It was a small skeleton that watched you in the darkness, his light blue eyes filled with fear and sadness. The skeleton was dressed in a baby blue bandana, an iron chestplate, iron shoulder pads, a thin white tee shirt, baby blue gloves, dark navy blue trousers, and baby blue boots. They looked to be… weeping? They didn’t look dangerous. Just fairly sad. 

“Are you alright there?” Frisk and Temmie could wait. This monster looked like it needed help.

“I-i kinda got lost out here, and the snow is making it harder to find my way home, and i-” Ah. He was lost. His voice was highly pitched, but had a sad echo to it. His voice broke near the end.

“Do you need help?”

“Y-yes, if you can.” You decided to help this small fellow, the small skeleton latching onto your left paw when you offered it. Frisk moved to your shoulders, Temmie resting back on your head again. It was pretty cold out but he appeared to be alright, if not, cold to the touch. You suddenly heard a small stomach rumble. 

“Frisk, was that you?”

“Uhhh.” You gave a small sigh. You knew where the trees were, turning to your immediate right. The small skeleton followed you, the group arriving in the trees. Since they were densely packed together, and since the foliage of the tree was thick, you were all sheltered from the snow. You managed to push aside some of the snow, creating a clearing big enough for the four of you. 

“Frisk, can you take out the pie?” Frisk obeyed as you started to rip twigs and branches off of the surrounding trees. You stacked them together at the middle of the clearing, and with a spark of your magic, you’d started a fire. It would keep them warm as long as you supplied the magic and the firewood. And with the massive amount of how much you gathered, it would last a long while. When Frisk took the pie out, you gently took it from them, heating the pie with your magic. You cut up the separate pieces of the pie with a claw, handing everybody a piece. You waited to eat, in case the others were still hungry. You could last a long while without any food if you wanted to.

“A-are you sure?”

“Go on. The pie is still fresh.” Once everybody had tucked in, you helped yourself to the last small piece of the pie. The aftertaste of butterscotch lingered at the back of your throat, sweet and simple. You sighed, sticking the pie tin in your bag. You watched as the snow continued to beat down on the ground, more snow whipping in its wake.

“What are we gonna do now?” Frisk had taken to nestling in your side along with Temmie, the two sapping your body heat.

“We could do three things: we could keep plowing on through the snow, you two could go back to the Ruins while I take him home, or we could ask goat dad if he has another bed. I could get through this weather fine, but I’m not sure about you two. You’ll get sick if you stay out here any longer, Frisk. I think that you two should just go back. I’ll get you two back inside and then i’ll take him home.”

"Yeah."

“Okay.”

“Alright. We’ll stay in the cover of the trees on the way back. Let’s move.” You put out the fire, absorbing the rest of the remaining heat from the campfire as to not set the forest on fire. Once that was done, the four of you set out in the direction of the Ruins, the howling snow beating down onto the canopies. It had been awhile before you finally came to the giant purple door, the skies dark with the light of dusk. Without hesitation, you knocked on the door precisely five times. The giant doors swung open, the warm air from the ruins blowing through your hair. 

“You two go on. I’ll be back before you know it. Let goat dad know that i'll be back soon.” They followed your instructions, closing the door and leaving you with the small skeleton. 

"You d-dont have to stay out here w-with me..."

“Nah. It'd be terrible of me to leave you all alone in the snow. We’ll go back through the cover of the trees. You can lead the way as we’ll be sticking close to the path.”

“T-thank you, a-again.”

“You’re welcome. Now come on.” You were about to move before you heard something drop near your feet. You turned around to see that the small skeleton had fallen. He wasn’t getting up. You picked up the small skeleton, using your heat to give him warmth. He wasn't heavy but he wasn't exactly light, either. He nestled deeper into your tunic, not shivering but as if asking for something you couldn’t give him. 

“Sans!” You heard someone call out in the darkness, an orange glow lighting up the pitch black darkness. It was beyond dusk now. You decided to ask the stranger if they could help you.

“Excuse me!” You called out to the stranger, the said stranger turning his head sharply to gaze at you. It was another skeleton, this one wearing an orange hoodie, dark brown cargo shorts, and red sneakers. 

“Sans!” The stranger suddenly ran at you, his glowing eyes directed at the small lump in your arms. The stranger gently took the small lump out of your arms, eyeing you with hostility before he gave a small smile. The strange orange light was apparently coming from his eyes. Cool.

“Thank you for taking care of my brother.” 

“Oh! He’s your brother! Right! Um, you’re welcome.”

“I should probably get him home now before he gets sick. Thank you.” And with that, the stranger walked off into the snow, still holding Sans in his arms. What a good brother. You turned back in the direction of the Ruins, the giant purple doors coming into view. You knocked precisely five times, the door swinging open like last time. You stepped back into the safety of the Ruins, closing the massive doors behind you. You just realized how freaking cold you were. You made your way back down the corridor, trudging up the stairs. You heard the sound of your toe claws clicking on the stone floors. You didn't need them for traction anymore. You were so ready to sleep. All that running in the snow had taken all the energy out of you. 

“Ah! There you are!” You felt something strong and warm embrace you. You instinctively let yourself fall limp in Asgore’s hug, his warmth so soothing.

“My child! You are freezing to the touch! Here. Come with me.”


	5. Frisk's New Plaything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You haven't suspected Frisk of doing anything wrong, heading back into Snowdin to cover more ground. Temmie left somewhere, leaving you and Frisk by yourselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to let you know, for each story, the age of the protagonist resets. Unless I specify the exact age of the protagonist, they're a bit older than fourteen. An age that's perfect for NOT FRICKING ANYTHING! So yeah!

Out Of Place

You sat near the burning fire, everyone fast asleep by now. Asgore had taken to wrapping you in a cocoon of blankets and sticking you near the fire to get warm. It had worked for a little while, you falling into a small cat nap, but you woke yourself up, remembering what awaited you once you fell into a deep slumber. You were excruciatingly tired, not resting yesterday, so now the bags under your eyes had deepened. It was sometime before midnight, the grandfather clock in the hallway, chiming with the call of tomorrow. You gave a small yawn, it coming out as a tired squeak. Asgore had left to sleep in his room, Frisk leaving to lay in theirs. Temmie had left to go somewhere, saying that they’d be back tomorrow. Well, it’s technically tomorrow.   
To be honest, you had no idea what to do now, and from the looks of it, you were starting to not care anymore. Between the minutes, you could feel your eyelids drooping more and more, until you fell asleep. Once more, the static sounded from the bottomless depths of the anti-void, your eyes instinctively closing themselves. You felt your paws touch the ground, you staying on your knees. The dull throbbing was completely gone, the feeling of peace filling the void in your head. 

“oh hey. you’re back.” You could hear Error’s distinct voice, the low sound echoing off the walls. You opened your eyes, squinting to adjust to the harsh light.

“You’re lucky that you don’t have corneas.” You began to rub your eyes, then, running your paws over your ears in weariness. You yawned again, a short mewl coming out between the gaps. You quickly covered your mouth, Error turning towards you in surprise. You always took care not to meow or purr or any of that stupid kitty shit. It was demeaning and made you feel small and vulnerable. So why now?!

“cute.” 

“S-shut up!” You weren’t good at taking compliments, thus becoming incredibly flustered, the tips of your ears, red with embarrassment. Error merely chuckled and went back to what he was doing before. No special message or anything this time? Oh well. You opted to just lay there on the floor, your tail wrapping around you. 

“what are you doing?”

“Laying on the floor. Wanna join me?”

“no thanks. i have work that needs to be done.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll just be over here then.” You became quiet, curling in on yourself as you gazed away from Error and his shenanigans. He was typing something over there by the sounds of it. You knew that you’d probably wake up in a cold sweat, and you were mentally preparing yourself for it. You wondered what you were gonna do today. Frisk had suggested going back today, perhaps venturing farther than last time. You weren’t sure if they could handle going out that far. Meh. You would just remember to pack blankets, a thermos of hot chocolate, your sweater, and the cell phone that Asgore had given you before he went to sleep. You were suddenly conscious of your breathing, the steady rise and fall of your chest soothing you. Could you fall asleep in a dream? It never hurt to try. You kept your eyes closed, clearing your head of anything until you felt the void disappearing. Where did the void go when it disappeared? If you had left nothingness and everything behind you, where are you then? It felt cold. So very cold. You couldn’t open your eyes, your ears flattening in fear when you felt something sweep by your small frame. So falling asleep in a dream was a bad idea. You got to your feet, the feeling of soft grass evident on your paws. You could smell something. It smelled like something was burning… burning…? You could feel smoke gather in your lungs, you now choking on the gas.  
Your eyes flew open, the smell of smoke strong in the room. You could hear a muffled beeping issuing from various places in the house. You unwrapped yourself free of your blankets, checking the fireplace. It hadn’t caught fire, but had burnt out earlier, its ashes cold. You heard the sound of flames issuing in the kitchen. You got to your feet, running quickly into the kitchen. The refrigerator appeared to be on fire. How long had it been burning? You ripped the doors off of the cabinets, searching for the fire extinguisher. You finally found it, unlatching the top and spraying the flames with the foam.

“What’s going on?” You continued to spray the fire, its flames licking higher until dimming down. Judging by its consistency and its weak heat, it was a type of normal human fire. You couldn’t absorb that with your magic, and if you got caught in it, you would surely die. You heard heavy footfalls on the hardwood floors heading towards you. You’d soon completely extinguished the fire, the refrigerator fine on the inside but charred on the outside. How that was possible, you had no idea. You felt a strong set of paws land on your shoulder, pulling you away from the fridge.

“Are you alright, my child? You didn’t get burned too badly, did you?” You shook your head, weakly holding the fire extinguisher in your paws. It clattered to the floor loudly, landing on its side. Asgore had pulled you to your paws, hauling you away from the living room. You weren’t exactly comfortable with being held like a stuffed animal, but you let it slide. He was toasty. Asgore had carried you to your room, quietly opening the door. He’d tucked you in your bed, and without a word, closed the door. You heard his heavy footfalls leading back towards the kitchen. You were too tired to follow, your eyes closing quickly with sleep. Sleep came easy that night.  
You dreamed of flowers. These flowers grew on a cliff that jutted above a dark and bottomless hole. A low snarl issued from the hole, the darkness getting darker and darker.The petals of the flowers stayed in their place, a harsh breeze throwing them back in forth in their rough winds. A figure stood out on the edge of the cliff. They wore a long white dress, a flower crown hiding their facial features. They were looking over the edge of the cliff, their white dress blowing in the wind. You made to step forward, a sharp crack ripping through the silence. For a second, they seemed to look just like… 

 

“Lion! Lion, get up!” You awoke to Frisk sitting on you, peering into your eyes with their own red ones.

“Come on! We have to go back into the snow today!” Oh. Right. You rubbed the sleep from your eyes, hauling the small child off of you. You got yourself out of bed, clutching at the frail white nightgown that Asgore had gave you yesterday. You gave a loud yawn, this time, not daring to meow or anything of that caliber. 

“Hurry up! Goat dad made breakfast!” With that, Frisk took off down the hallway, leaving you to get dressed. You closed the door and proceeded to get dressed, taking off your nightgown and putting on the extra purple tunic that Frisk had left out for you. You went back out into the hallway, and headed towards the dining room. You wearily sat down at the wooden table, eyeing the giant stack of steaming waffles in front of you. 

“Here’s the syrup!” You slowly took the maple syrup from Frisk, tipping the bottle over until a steady stream of syrup started to fall upon your waffle tower. You kept pouring, your paws occasionally squeezing it out of the bottle harshly.

“Isn’t that enough syrup, sis?” You stared into their eyes, squeezing the bottle harder in your iron grip. 

“It’s enough when I say it’s enough. Don’t criticize my love for syrup.” You waited until your waffle tower was drowned in syrup before starting on it. Asgore had sat at the table with his own plate, taking the syrup from you as soon as you were done.

“You sure do like your syrup, huh?” Even Asgore looked dubious of your love for syrup. Jeez, judgy huh?

“Mff!” You were too busy inhaling your drenched waffle tower to pay attention. Welp. You all started to pay more attention to your breakfast, every waffle being devoured in mere minutes. After you were done, you decided to wash your own dish, padding into the kitchen. You washed off your dish and scrubbed off all the residue, sticking the now clean plate into the dish drainer to dry.

“Come on! Come on!” Frisk had attached themselves to your sleeve as soon as you exited the kitchen, Asgore just getting up from the table. You remembered all the stuff that you had to pack. 

“Frisk, wait here for a sec.” You grabbed your messenger bag from the parlor, running into your room to get some stuff. You took the blankets off your bed and stuffed them into your bag. You went to get your phone, stuffing your sweater into the bag as well, along with a flashlight and some extra batteries. You could never be too sure. Once the items were in your bag, you closed the door behind you and went out into the parlor. As it turns out, Asgore had packed you some food, a container full of oranges and apples, along with two thermoses full of hot chocolate. You put the food in a separate pocket, storing your thermos in the bottle pocket on the side.

"Thank you, goat dad."

“You're welcome. Now make sure to come back before dusk. I’ll be gone for the day, as I must get some things from the market. I will see you two later.” You and Frisk gave Asgore a hug goodbye as you set down the basement stairs. The corridor underneath was just as long as last time. You set to pushing open both of the doors, and after pushing open the second one, you stopped to catch your breath in the cold air.

“Uh, sis?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know that guy?”

“What guy?” You’d already shut the Ruin doors behind you, so hearing that somebody was approaching had scared you into standing up. Oh. It was merely the skeletons from yesterday. You could see the silhouette of Sans, but you could clearly make out the brother. He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. The two appeared to be talking about something fairly interesting. Welp. So were you.

“It’s alright Frisk. I know the both of them.” You let Frisk ride on your back, your paws sinking into the snow faster. You trudged through the snow, paying attention to your surroundings. It was snowing more gently than last night. You could clearly see the ceilings of the cavern. Apparently, the brothers had stopped talking to notice your passing in the snow.

“hey! papyrus, look!” You turned to look, jumping when you noticed that Sans had gotten VERY close to you.

“Slow down, Sans. I’m already-”

“papyrus, please-”

“-bone tired.” 

“you’re terrible.”

“I know you find my jokes humerus.”

“you know what? i’m done.” And Sans just turned himself back around, storming off into the other direction. Papyrus merely watched as he left, chuckling quietly to himself. His puns were god awful, but you had to admit that you did find them to be funny. 

“Don’t mind Sans. My bro just doesn’t have a good sense of humor. Anyway, my name’s Papyrus. I don’t think I got your name last night, did I?”

“You didn’t. I’m Lion, and this freeloader on my back is Frisk.” For some strange reason, you could feel Frisk suddenly tense up on your back, obviously trying to stay hidden. Papyrus had a dark look etched into his face. You decided not to say anything, not wanting to be rude or intruding on their intense eye conversation. Sans had suddenly come back to save the day.

“oh! before i forget, muffet wanted me to tell you that their restocking their honey tonight.”

“No way! Seriously?” Papyrus had ripped his attention away from Frisk to question Sans, who looked slightly peeved at the mention of honey.

“yes. by the way, the human-” He seemed to drop off in mid sentence, looking sideways before dropping the sentence completely.

“What about the human?” You stopped there, continuing to walk away from the Ruins. If they were calling you back, you obviously didn’t hear them. Frisk continued to huddle closer on your back, their breathing harsh and hot. 

“Are you alright back there, Frisk?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Alright. Just checking.” You continued on through the gentle snowfall, the snowflakes dancing around your face.

“Hey. Can you put me down?”

“Sure.” You lowered yourself to the ground, Frisk climbing off of your back. You watched as your breath turned into a steam cloud, rising and fading into nothing. Frisk had taken to walking beside you, their small hands laced into your paws. You could feel them shivering. 

“Hold on.” You stopped walking and opened up your yellow messenger bag. You pulled out your gigantic dark navy blue sweater, pulling it over Frisk’s head and wrapping them in it. It was so large on them, that it almost dragged across the ground.

“Warm?”

“Toasty.”

“Good.” You zipped up your bag, throwing the strap over your shoulders. Now that Frisk was warm and taken care of, you could keep going. You’d eventually came across a large bridge, the bars much too far apart to keep anyone from crossing. You padded across, Frisk doing the same until you came upon a clearing. A large sentry station sat towards the side, an oddly shaped lamp resting in the snow. 

“oh! there you are!” Sans and Papyrus had caught up, Sans focusing solely on you. He seemed to completely ignore Frisk. 

“i’ve prepared something for you for helping me find Papyrus! come with me for a sec’.” Sans had led you over to the sentry station, leaving Frisk with Papyrus. While you weren’t looking, the two shared an interesting conversation.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I take it, you’re having fun with this one, eh?” Papyrus had eyed Frisk, his left eye glowing a dull amber.

“Heeheehee! Boy, you sure are keen, aren’t you Papy?”

“Don’t call me that. What are you gonna do this time, huh? Murder us all? Trick us into freedom but then kill us? What are you up to?” Frisk’s innocent demeanor had fallen all too quickly, their red eyes darkening to a dim crimson, and a knowing smile played on their lips.

“Oh, I won’t be doing anything of the sorts! SHE will.”

“Wha-” Papyrus had looked over to you, currently scanning the sentry station for something with Sans. You looked to be just a child, but older than most. But you were a monster. There was no way…

“Wanna know something fun?”

“I don’t-”

“Sis has TWO souls!” 

“That’s impossible. You’re lying.”

“Oh, I’m not lying. I’ve seen it for myself. The time that she dueled with Asgore. One monster SOUL, and one human SOUL. I just can’t tell the trait of her human SOUL. Something that makes this timeline even more fun? She’s a boss monster! Can you top that, Papyrus?” Papyrus had suddenly grew nervous, beads of sweat sliding down his skull. 

“It doesn’t matter. You’ll just get Chara to reset after this, won’t you?”

“Heehee! Reset? Who said anything about resetting? No no. I won’t JUST reset. If only you knew Papyrus. This new anomaly of mine is something that I just have to test out! It’s a shame that I can’t directly control her, though.”

“Why not?” Papyrus was now sweating fiercely, the sweat starting to stain his hoodie. You were still with Sans, who had produced a platter of tacos in his gloved hand. You looked genuinely surprised but happy nonetheless. Perhaps, you weren’t so dangerous. But boss monsters were lethal. The only boss monsters he knew were Queen Toriel and Asgore. But he knew neither, as he’d never met with the two in this timeline. But something about you was really… off.

“It’s because she has a neutral charge, you idiot. She can’t absorb anybody's SOULS, nor can anybody absorb her's! She’s a walking medium! Just think of all the power that she could have if she taped into the power of her human SOUL!” But you looked to be genuinely nice, and eating five of Sans’s tacos were no small feat. You didn't even gag once!

“If I could get ahold of that kind of power-”

“You won’t. Not if I have anything to say against that.”

“Oh? And what are you gonna do? Fight me? I already know all your moves, Papyrus. And if you killed me, I’d just come back.” Frisk looked to be enjoying this torture, Papyrus cursing under his breath.

“And she doesn’t suspect anything! She thinks that I’m the innocent little kid Frisk, who has to have a babysitter show them around. I already know every crevice of the Underground. And this time, with this new anomaly, things are gonna change.”

“You sick fuck. You’re awfully sick in the head, aren’t ‘cha?” Frisk merely laughed and continued to mock him.

“I guess I am. Speaking of heads, shouldn’t you be watching your brother’s?” Papyrus sharply turned his head to glare at the child, the amber glow in his eyes become brighter and fiercer. You’d actually eaten all of his tacos. He had to wrap this up before you noticed.

“I guess I should. You try anything funny, and I’ll kill you where you stand.” With that, Papyrus had moved away from the small child, coming to take up the side on your right.


	6. A Foreign Fight?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You only know English, so imagine what would happen if you were flirted with in a different language.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Google translate is a pain. I was honestly just goofing around in there when I had to idea to include the "stuff'" in this chapter. Sorry if I offend anyone...

A Change Of Pace

Sans had given you a whole plate of tacos, a gift for helping him find Papyrus yesterday. Despite their unshapely appearance, they were actually pretty good. The only thing that could use work was the tomatoes. But beggars can’t be choosers, right? While you were over chatting with Sans, you noticed that Frisk and Papyrus were having quite the interesting conversation. Maybe they’d met before? You noticed that the two were deep in conversation, whatever Frisk was discussing looking worrying. Guess they liked talking about weird shit. You didn’t think you could ever hold down an interesting conversation. You preferred to be by yourself most of the time, not being comfortable with talking to people too much. But the skeleton brothers seemed to have good company, so you relaxed around them.

“have you gotten to Snowdin yet?”

“Snowdin?”

“yeah. it’s where me and papy live! but it’s pretty far away. I wonder…” Sans’s blue eyes seemed to wander the snowy clearing for a bit, coming to rest on the silhouette of Papyrus. Him and Frisk were chatting so quietly in whispers that you could just barely make out their conversation. Something about ‘timelines’ and ‘brothers’. Okay so you were right. They were talking about some weird stuff. You didn’t like to eavesdrop, the act being rude. You turned back to look at Sans, his gloved hand resting on his chin.

“What’s on your mind?” Sans didn’t answer, likely, too perplexed by his idea to pay attention. You suddenly felt another presence by your right side.. Oh. It was just Papyrus. He had a lit cigarette in between his teeth, the smoke thankfully blowing away from you. A thin line of sweat appeared on his skull. You didn’t even know that skeletons could smoke. Oh well. You learn something new every day.

“Hey bro. I’m gonna head to Snowdin real quick. Hope you don’t mind.”

“not at all brother! i will watch over the human and their escort!” Their escort? You quirked an eyebrow at that, but left the answer to be. Frisk had arrived at your back, clutching the side of your tunic. You stole a glance at them. They were fine, but appeared to be looking rapidly from side to side. What was up with them? They had suddenly started to climb onto your back, you kneeling to let them up. They clutched at your long hair, their frame warm and still.

“ok.” With that said, Papyrus left down the path, the three of you watching his distant silhouette until he disappeared on the the far horizon. How far did these woods go? You had a feeling that you didn’t want to know.

Sans had been eager to show you around the woods of Snowdin, the snow stopping for the entire tour. It had been fun ,crunching through the snow and getting even colder than you already were. In fact, you were sure you’d get a cold, but you didn’t care right now. There were some great points in the woods of Snowdin, perfect for sightseeing and other things. One of the better sights was at a relatively high cliff, the view of the ice skaters on the lake being absolutely dazzling. From here, you could see a bright group of lights at the middle of the cavern. Of course, the three of you had to keep moving so move, you did. The group had eventually stopped to make snowmen, Sans’s being the most muscular snowmen in the history of snowmen. Yours came in second, while Frisk’s came in third. After that, you three just threw snowballs at each other in a wild frenzy. The whole game took a turn for the worst when you accidentally threw a giant snowball that sailed right into Sans’s left eye socket. The clearing plunged into sudden silence. And then Frisk started laughing like a dumbass, keeling over in laughter. You’d tried to apologize but could not, because as soon as you opted to move, Sans had began to pelt you with huge snowballs. Not too long after, and you were covered in snow. You had to melt it off, your entire tunic getting soaked, and you ended up shivering in the freezing cold snow.  
“are you alright?”

“I-i’m f-fine. J-just c-cold. H-hold on.” It’s a good damn thing that you came equipped with your fire magic. You placed your paws around your small frame, using your heat magic to puff out your garments. You fluffed out your hair, your tail, and any other body part that needed warming. Soon, you were so warm that the snow around you had melted into a tiny puddle. You felt as though your feet would always be wet. What an unpleasant feeling.

“I forgot you could do that, sis. Help me.” Frisk, who was probably down in the snow, was probably freezing their butt off. Nope. They were next to you in an instant, the expression ‘help me bitch’ on their face. You sighed, and placed your paws on the garments of the small child, warming up their clothes. You turned around to face Sans, your paws up as if to ask if he wanted to be warm too.

“nah. i can’t feel the cold. it just goes right through me.” You gave a tiny snort and buried your head in your paws. Frisk had groaned in the background, crossing their tiny arms and glaring at the small skeleton.

“dammit.” You were too busy laughing to call him out on his words, taking the time to come up with your own. 

“What? You didn’t find that humerus?” Sans had whipped his head around to face you, his expression adorably furious. You were sure that you had a shit-eating grin on your face.

“stop that.”

“Tibia honest, I thought you would want to hear a femur. Ulna stop now.” You were cracking up, despite the loud groans of disapproval from both Sans and Frisk.

“thank you.”

“Heheh. I’m just ribbing ya. I got a skeleton of them.” You could’ve sworn that skeletons didn’t have eyeballs. You felt Frisk angrily tug on your hair, the hands softly punching you in the scalp. 

“enough! i shall forgive you for your punnery. please. no more.” 

“Alright. I quit.”

“thank you. but if you tell another pun-” The three of you were still walking when two silhouettes appeared over the distant horizon. It was Papyrus, and what looked to be a…. a small child? Frisk had instinctively hid behind you, using you like a temporary meat shield. You hair wouldn’t do much in that situation.

“there you are brother! oh! and i see you brought the human as well!” A human? As Papyrus approached, you could make out the clear distinctions of the small child beside them. The kid had shoulder length red hair, pale skin, and red eyes that were brighter than Frisk’s. They wore a green and yellow sweater, with a tutu. Surprisingly, that didn’t bother you at all.

“Yeah. They were done playing with M.K. and decided to tag along with me.” Papyrus was clutching a bottle of honey, his other arm latched onto by the small child. Sans and Papyrus both looked equally peeved about something. You suddenly felt tiny hands grab onto the fabric of the frills of your tunic. The small child was suddenly in front of you, pulling harder on the edge of your tunic. They were trying to tell you something. You took a kneel, the kid motioning you to come closer. You moved closer. They began to whisper something into your ear. 

“Your lips look lonely. Would they like to meet mine?” Nope. Nope! Fuck this shit. You merely just stared at the child before getting to your paws and turning the other way around.

“as i was- Chara! stop flirting with our friends!” Was this a normal thing for this kid? The child, Chara, had let out a giggle, and had continued to pull on your dress, keeping you from walking away. You saw their red eyes narrow playfully, their eyes challenging you to a battle. Okay. Sure. Fine. You decided to humor the child as you turned to face Chara, Frisk opting to watch on your shoulders.

“You’re very purrty.”

“Kid. You’re gonna have to try a LOT harder than that to fluster me.” Sure, you’d gotten hot and bothered by letting out that mewl in the anti-void, but that was accidental. If anybody tried to flirt with you on purpose, they’d have another thing coming.

“Challenge accepted. あなたがセクシーです.” You had no idea what that kid just said, but Papyrus had just spit out his honey all over the clearing. He began to choke, beating his chest with the back of his hand. Sans had paled, if that was even possible. What? What did the kid say?

“Chara. No.”

“Chara, yes. I have another one! あなたはおっぱいを持っていますか?” Sans was snickering and Papyrus had started to sweat. Okay, so Sans had began to find this humerus. Dammit, unintentional puns! Now is not the time!

“Kid that’s very inappropriate.”

“異議！私は彼女を持っていなければなりません!”

“In what way?!”

“あなたは、私が話していますどの方法を知っています。” Hence, if the eyebrow waggling wasn’t enough,then the massive blushes on Sans and Papyrus’s certainly was. It looked to be pretty bad as both Sans and Papyrus were becoming rapidly flustered, Sans having to excuse himself from the conversation.

“What the heck is going on?” You had no clue, and you were sure that somebody was gonna have to explain it to you. At that, Chara faced you, a shit-eating grin plastered on their face. Whatever they were saying certainly wasn’t good.

“私はおっぱいのために来ています。私はおっぱいを持つことになります。また、素敵な戦利品。良い。とても良い。” Chara was now viciously smirking, their red eyes sparkling with mirth. You heard Frisk grumble something behind your hair, their tiny fists clutching your hair tighter.

“We’re taking you back-” Papyrus had begun, but Frisk had interrupted.

“不要跟我妹妹調情。她是我的。碰她，我要殺了你就在這裡，現在，我會從地球上刪除你的存在，不要跟我妹妹調情。” Their tone was deep and dark, their words bringing on the silence quickly. The hell?

“Holy shit, kid.” Papyrus and Sans looked severely shocked, Chara having backed up, muttering something about ‘pushy’ while taking cover behind Papyrus. What was everybody talking about?

“Frisk, what the heck did you say? I can’t even understand what anybody is saying!” You heard Frisk scoff and pat your head.

“你有什麼可擔心的。這個白痴只是吸取了教訓。”

“彷彿。這就是為什麼沒有人喜歡你。你是粗魯和令人討厭。你只是利用她得到你想要的東西。你是可怕的。有一天，你將獨自一人，沒有人會在乎。那麼，為什麼不乾脆消失？”

“Okay. You two need to calm down.” Both Sans and Papyrus were starting to freak out. Frisk and Chara were locked in a staring contest, Chara crossing their arms and scoffing at Frisk. 

“Frisk started it!”

“Last time I checked, I don’t flirt with people in different languages, you filthy peasant!” 

“STOP IT! THAT’S ENOUGH! THE BOTH OF YOU!” Sans had burst in, beginning to shout at the small children. Frisk and Chara had both flinched, ducking their heads in shame. 

“sorry about that. we’ll take Chara home. i apologize for Chara’s flirting.” Wait. This kid was flirting with you in a foreign language the whole time? What the heck Chara? Where are you learning this stuff from?

“I apologize for whatever Frisk said. I have no idea what language they just spoke in so I understood none of their words. Sorry.” You were angry at Frisk for engaging in a fight, but at the same time, you respected their prowess at their foreign language. Perhaps it was a monster dialect? You took a hold of Frisk’s wrist, pulling them back in the direction of the Ruins. They needed a timeout.


	7. Cleaning The House From Boredom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have a feeling that you guys don't really read these things, do you? Anywho, you and Frisk are resting at home from the ordeal from earlier. Frisk asks you to deliver a letter to the skeleton brothers.

Blueberry

You’d brought Frisk back to the house, Asgore being out at the time, so the house was yours. You’d left them be, letting them think about their actions. Sure, you weren’t the grown up, but you didn’t start random fights with random people. Temmie was off somewhere and Frisk was pouting in their room. You sat in Asgore’s plush chair, the fire that you had lit wavering back and forth in its place. From what Sans had told you before you left, Chara had been trying to flirt with you in a foreign language and Frisk had issued them a death threat trying to protect you. To be honest, you were impressed with Frisk’s bilingual skills. Where had they learned to be that fluent in another language? Perhaps they had to learn english instead? You were positively stumped, nuzzling deeper into your warm blanket.   
The two of you had gotten back around the afternoon, so it was relatively quiet around the house. It was always quiet in the Ruins. Sometimes, the occasional Froggit or Loox would come by and ask if Frisk would come out to play. They did go out sometimes, and they often came back in a better mood. You hated being idle. You decided to do the one thing that would take your mind off of it: cleaning. You got up from your chair, leaving your blanket there for later. You went into the kitchen first, washing the dirty dishes and drying them, only to put them in their own correct cabinet. You organized the knives, even if you didn’t have to nor need to. You sorted the fridge, arranging the condiments in alphabet order upon the rows, wiped down the counters, moped the floors, cleaned out the sink, swept the floor, cleaned the stove, and cleaned the sink. By the time you were done with the kitchen, your paws were pruney and the kitchen sparkled with cleanliness. It smelled of soap and chemicals. You turned off the kitchen light, heading into the dining room. You placed the fireplace tools back at their side, inspecting the sharpness of the tools. They were pretty dull. You picked up all of the junk on the table, stacking Frisk’s papers by the bookcase in the parlor. You pulled up the doily, placing the flowers by the entrance of the kitchen. Moving the chairs to the sides, you began to wipe down the wooden table, sweeping the crumbs into the garbage bin and polishing the wood until you could see your reflection in it. You did the same for the chairs, polishing them until not a speck of grime existed. You placed the doily back on the polished table, moving the chairs back into their places. You took the vase of flowers and polished the glass, but not touching the flowers. You had what you called a ‘black thumb’ and practically killed any plant you came in contact with. You placed the flowers back on the table and put the garbage bin by the entrance of the dining room.  
You went to retrieve the vacuum from the hall, stopping to check on Frisk. They were busy at their desk, writing something. You backed out into the hallway and continued on into the dining room. From there, you vacuumed the carpets, retrieving any stray crumbs or foreign objects. Once you were done in there, you headed out towards the parlor. You went back into the kitchen to retrieve the mop, remembering to sweep and mop the hardwood floors in the dining room. You also swept and mopped the parlor floors and the hallway floor, placing the bucket and the broom by the front door. You pulled out the vacuum and vacuumed the stair carpets, one step at a time. Once that was done, you arranged the books in the bookshelf, being extra careful with the older ones. You took Frisk’s papers and put them back on the dining room table. Some were colorful pictures, while others were the pieces of homework that Asgore had assigned them. Frisk always asked for your help, stumbling on the simplest of things. You headed out into the parlor, a wet rag in your paws. You washed off the lamps, swept the floors, wiped the railways of the stairs and polished the back of the front door. The parlor was now finished. You weren’t about to go in Asgore’s room, nor would you interrupt Frisk while they were doing something.  
You put away the cleaning tools, storing the vacuum back in the hallway closet, the mop and garbage bin in the kitchen, and the wet rag in the dirty hamper by your door. You swept all the excess junk off the floors and out of the door, storing the broom in the kitchen once you were done. The house smelled relatively clean, it taking two hours for you to clean in total. Gee, that sure was fast. You retreated back to Asgore’s chair, wrapping yourself back in the fluffy blanket that was your hive. You considered reading a book, but the majority talked about tea and snails. You sighed and sank further into the chair, scratching your head gently with your claws. You suddenly heard the sound of a door clicking open. Light footfalls made their way around the house, stopping when they got to the dining room. You slowly opened your eyes. Frisk was stalling near the door, a piece of paper in their hands.

“What’s up? Something on your mind?” You gave a quiet yawn and rubbed your eyes. It wasn’t even dusk yet and you were already getting sleepy. Frisk had silently come up to you, holding out the piece of paper behind their back. It was a crude drawing of what looked to be Frisk, Asgore, Temmie, and you. It was all done in crayon, the true drawing utensil of simpletons. You gently took the paper from them, smiling at the simple picture. It was heartwarming in a childish way.

“You’re a good artist, Frisk. Is this what you’ve been up to?” They nodded their head, all the while marveling at the clean house around the,. They suddenly turned back to you, holding out a pencil with a challenging glare in their red eyes. They motioned for you to turn over the paper.

“Now it’s your turn: draw the same picture. ~Frisk. So I’m supposed to draw your picture in my style?” Frisk nodded their head, you grabbing a book off of the fireplace to draw on. It was ‘172 Uses For Snails: Hardback Edition’. You took the pencil from Frisk, them pulling themselves onto the armrest to watch. You began to sketch out the frames of the people you were supposed to draw, their frames drawn with light sketching. You took a minute to think, sketching in the minor details before starting on the major ones: Asgore’s beard, Frisk’s hands, Temmie’s hair, and your paws. You began to fill in the major details with hard led, attempting to get the clothes JUST right. Once the sketching was done, you erased the previous sketches, focusing on the final sketch with dark led. Frisk had handed you a box of crayons to finish your masterpiece. You gently took the crayons from them, filling the sketches with color and adding some details to the background. With a last stroke of the black crayon, you were finished.

“Done?”

“Done!” You handed Frisk your drawing, them seeming to be mildly impressed at your mad skills. You’d been drawing ever since you were a kid, so the task came easily to you. Just then, the front door creaked open. You instinctively put yourself in front of Frisk, just in case somebody bad had came through the door. Alas, it was only Asgore. You relaxed, sinking deeper into your cozy blanket. 

“Hey! You gonna let me in?” 

“Nah. There’s a secret password to get in.”

“Is the password orange juice?” 

“Dang it! I was sure you’d be befuddled by my new password! Curses!” You let Frisk in your fortress of solitude, wrapping them in the slack of the blankets.

“Oh? You two are back so soon?” Asgore looked surprised to see you two bundled up in his chair. You poked your snout out of the blanket.

“Yeah. We were out in the snow for a little too long.” You wouldn’t tell on Frisk. You were no snitch. Asgore seemed to shrug in response, carrying a couple of paper bags into the kitchen. Wait for it…

“Who cleaned the kitchen?”

“I did.” When it came to cleaning things, you always became sheepish, wanting to hide even though you did a good deed.

“Why?”

“I got bored.”

“Wait. You clean when you’re bored?” Frisk had joined the conversation, their expression awfully dubious. 

“Yeah, pretty much.” Frisk had untangled themselves from the blanket fort, following Asgore into the kitchen. You took this time to gather your stuff out of the dining room and take it to your room. You spread the blanket on your bed, taking the time to fluff out your pillow. It smelled of crayon wax and pencil shavings in here. Not a bad scent at all. You felt like resting, flopping onto the bed in weariness. Apparently, fate was not on your side today as Frisk had suddenly came barreling into the room.

“Hey sis! Can you do something for me?” You groaned at the thought of getting up, but you would have to do it later anyway.

“Mmhmm.”

“Can you deliver this to Papyrus? I was going to earlier but I promised goat dad that I’d help him make dinner. Please?’

“Fine. Okay.” You took the letter from their hands and tucked it into your sweater pocket. You didn’t feel like changing so you just opted for carrying the letter and your cellphone in your pocket. They weren’t that heavy.

“Thank you!” With that, Frisk took off down the hallway and into the kitchen. You hauled yourself out of bed, dreading the terrible cold that is Snowdin. You didn’t bother putting on the damned leggings, heading straight towards the basement doors.

“Be back before dusk!” You continued on through the narrow corridor, turning the corner with sharp precision. You could hear your claws clicking on the stone floors. With a heave, you pushed open the first doors, your arms like noodles after pushing open the second ones. You gave a disdainful sigh at the cold air, your paws shrinking back at the snow. You pricked your ears, listening through the heavy breeze of the falling snow. It was still light out, barely getting darker with the coming of dusk. You could hear the faint sounds of a conversation, that nasally voice recognizable. You continued forward, you hair roughly blowing into your face. It wasn’t long before you came upon a clearing, the same clearing that you’d met the skeleton brothers. In fact, there they were. You wanted to hurry up and get this over with. 

“you do know what’s in that stuff, don’t you?”

“Not really- huh? Lion, is that you?”

“Yea.” You marched towards the skeletons, looking awfully cold in a giant sweater that covered the short shorts that you were wearing. You literally rolled out of bed before hand. You dug in your sweater pocket, retrieving Frisk’s letter from the deep depths. You held it out to Papyrus, who looked more than sarcastic.

“What is this?”

“I don’t know, an explosive letter filled with glitter? It’s a letter from Frisk. They wanted me to deliver it to you.”

“Hmm? What’s it say?” Papyrus took the letter from you, ripping it open. Suddenly, a shit ton of glitter confetti came flying out of the envelop. You were too far for it to get on you, the stuff getting all over Papyrus’s hoodie instead. You so badly wanted to laugh but glitter was the herpes of satan. The stuff was nothing to joke about. Nonetheless, Papyrus had pulled out the real letter inside, unfolding it to read it.

“Interesting. Will you two be coming back here tomorrow?” 

“I probably will. I’m not too sure about Frisk, though.”

“What time?”

“Hmm. Around ten, i think.”

“oh. i thought it would be around eight."

“Meh. I can sleep until one in the afternoon if I really wanted.”

“*gasp*! papyrus, stop infecting people with your laziness!” You had to chuckle at that one, closing your messenger bag in the process.

“I assure you that he’s not infecting me with his laziness, Sans. I must go. The goat father summons me.”

“oh. well see you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow, kit!” Papyrus had shortly left afterwards, to go and clean up the glitter on his jacket. Sans on the other hand had stopped you before you’d left the clearing. 

“hold on! i know a faster way how to get back!” 

“You do?”

“yeah! take my hand!” Was it just you or did Sans sound strangely flirtatious? Oh god. You took his hand nonetheless, him yanking you into a tight hug. You barely had time to say anything as you felt the floor give way underneath you. Within seconds, the floor was back and you were gasping for breath.

“sorry. i forgot to warn you about the side effects.”

“What in the heck was that Sans?” You’d stopped to catch your breath, holding yourself up.

“i’ll tell you later. bye!” Before you could reply, Sans was gone, which left you staring into the snowy wasteland. You turned around, only to face the Ruins door. What the-? You knocked five times, the doors into the Ruins sliding open. What was he planning? You didn’t want to know..


	8. Side Patrol With Blueberry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dast go on a side patrol with Blueberry!

You’d awoken pretty early this morning. It was relatively silent, the quiet snores of Frisk, Temmie, and Asgore filling the quiet void. Temmie had come back earlier in the night, resting at the foot of Frisk’s bed as of now. They apparently had to go check something around Waterfall. Where was Waterfall? No more questions for the early day. You currently lay awake in your bed, the covers hastily thrown off earlier in the night in search of the cold. You didn’t dream about anything when you went to sleep, and as of late, you’ve been tired a lot more often. You didn’t know why, having to make fake excuses as to the reason why you were always heading to bed so early. You let out a harsh sigh and looked at the alarm at your bedside. The bright neon red light slightly burned your cornea. It read to be about three o'clock in the morning, which meant that everybody was going to be asleep for a lot longer. You quietly hauled yourself out of bed, stopping to gaze at Frisk and Temmie. They were both sleeping so serenely. You didn’t feel like waking them up right now. You slipped on your dark navy blue sweater, the comforting smell of vanilla and citrus surrounding you. You ran a paw through your fluffy matted mane, barely fishing out the tangles within. Oh well.   
You grabbed a stray piece of line paper off the desk and a number two pencil, stopping only to grab your phone. You’d need it in case anybody was wondering where you went.You hastily wrote a letter to your common fellows, explaining that you’d just be wandering about. You didn’t know where you were going, but most likely, you’d end up in Snowdin. It was larger and had more room to wander in. You placed the letter on your bed, quietly padding into the hallway and shutting the door behind you. You crawled underneath the padlock that barred off the stairs, quietly going down the stairs and through the corridors until you reached the stone doors. You pushed them open as quietly and as gently as possible, making your way into the woods of Snowdin. For the first time in forever, the chilly breeze of Snowdin was actually refreshing. It was snowing really hard, the branches of the pine trees swaying roughly in the wind. You’d be okay.  
You began to walk aimlessly down the path, your paws stashed in your sweater pocket. If anyone came upon you, you’d look desperately out of place, a lone monster child in a nightgown with a overly large sweatshirt over it. You didn’t really care what other people thought. You listened intently to the snow crunching underneath your paws, the howl of the wind filling that gaping hole of… loneliness. You always felt alone, as nobody could really understand what was behind that poker face of yours. You didn't like it when people tried to change you or figure you out. You weren't a puzzle made to be solved. You continued on the path, that weird bridge coming into sight. You stopped to peer into the dark hole. You picked up a stray pebble from the path, dropping it into the hole. You angled your ears towards the hole, listening for the clack of the falling pebble. You never heard it hit the ground. You kept going, coming upon the sentry station of the older brother. You snuck a few side glances before peering into the sentry station. All the ketchup bottles were still there. You felt alone. Heck, you were always alone.   
You watched as the snow fell, your journey still not done there. You were determined to go further than last time. You kept pushing through the snow, cutting through the trees and snow mounds to arrive at a distant icy lake. The entire thing was frosted over, the cold water trapped underneath. 

“is anybody out there?” You instinctively stiffened, hiding behind a tree as you looked out into the clearing. There was somebody on the other side of the lake, the harsh wind ruffling their clothing. You came out of your hiding spot, opting to wait for them to realize that, yes, there was a person there.

“Lion?”

“Yo.” It was just Sans. This time, he wasn’t in that large suit of armor. It was just a thick dark green nightshirt with a pair of gray sweatpants and some white house slippers. Nice and casual. He came to sit by you, watching as you tousled with the petals of the white flowers beside you. You felt as though you’d been here before, and that you've seen these flowers somewhere.

“what are you doing out so late?”

“Technically, it’s early in the morning.”

“early bird?”

“Not a chance. I just sort of felt like wandering.”

“at three o’clock in the morning?”

“It’s never too early to take a walk!” You plucked one of the flowers from it’s grip in the ground, turning it this way and that way in the artificial moonlight to examine them. 

“those are orchids, ya’ know. the only human flora that grows down here. not counting those golden flowers because those were bred by the king and queen.”

“Oh? So what are some of the monster flora then?”

“well, we have these cerulean flowers in the caverns of Waterfall. they’re called echo flowers, and they repeat anything you say to them.”

“So even if I say something inappropriate to them, they’ll just repeat it back?”

“the answer to your question is yes, but seriously, don’t say anything bad to the echo flowers.”

“So what would happen if you put two echo flowers next to each other, both facing each other, and you spoke into both of them, a different word?”

“hmm, that’s a hard one. the louder flower will prevail, and the word that is being said between the two will keep playing until the pitch of the word can’t go any higher. the flower that loses pretty much bursts into flames.”

“Dude. That’s hardcore.”

“i know. we have some weird flora down here. there’s also a village of...what were they called? wait... they were called flowes i think. it’s best if you don’t go there. they’re not dangerous or anything. they’re just weird and silly.”

“I see. By the by, what are you doing out here? Out taking a walk, such as the likes of myself?”

“no. i was out… doing… doing a patrol!”

“Oh really? So you do patrols in your casual wear?” Sans looked incredibly nervous. You smirked.

“It’s in the wash! i’ll have to wait until later to get it!”

“Is that so? Well, I’d better stop holding you back from patrolling the area and keeping the peace, mister wise guy.” You got to your paws, still holding the dismembered orchid in your paws.

“wait! if you want, you could come patrolling with me.”

“Oh? So you want me to come with you?”

“sure! i mean, paps never gets out of bed for anything, and i always check this early, just in case.”

“I guess your excuse qualifies then!”

“excuse?!” 

You’d decided to go with Sans on his early patrol. After checking your phone, to which Sans teases you relentlessly about, you discovered that it was half past three. You still had plenty of time. The two of you had left the ice lake, you keeping one of the white orchids with you, as a memory of sorts. 

“Where’s the first place to patrol?”

“snow district.”

“This place has districts?”

“yeah. there’s snow, ice, hail, frost, and most importantly, snowdin.”

“So this entire place is built off of districts. What district are we in right now?”

“we’re in the ice district. snowdin is in the middle so we just go by directions. to the south is the snow district. west is ice, east is frost, north is hail, and in the middle, as i’ve already told you, is snowdin.”

“So this whole place is one big pun?”

“it’s snow joke.” You could barely contain your suppressed laughter, Sans seeming to laugh with you.

“man. it’s snowing pretty hard out here, huh? i can barely see!”

“Hold on! I got it!” You held out your paws in front of you, summoning your fire magic, the bright light illuminating the snowy tundra. You heard the crackle of your flames as they consumed the falling snowflakes, the faint "pops" being a reminder of how hot your flames were.

“that must be neat.”

“Meh. It gets the job done.”

“what do you mean “meh”? do you know just how cool fire is?”

“How cool?”

“you could set everything on fire!”

“So you’re telling me, that if I were to lend you my awesome fire powers for the day, you’d burn everything to the ground?”

“yep!” 

“Dude. Let’s go melt some stuff!”

“heck yeah!” From there, the two of you wandered the districts, finding various things to melt: bark, leaves, pebbles, boulders, snow, hell, even water. You could burn water! Well, you could make water evaporate but it was still cool to you. It wasn’t until you’d successfully melted a giant boulder that you started to get reckless. You pooled the magma in your hands, using your claws to throw it around like jello. It had a rubbery consistency and it just flopped around all the time. You’d thrown it a little too hard, as the magma went sailing over towards a tree and set it on fire. You set to work absorbing the fire, and dousing the magma in the river. It steamed and turned into rock again, falling to the bottom. But it was still fun, regardless.

“hey, what time is it?” You reached into your sweater pocket to look at your phone, the time reading 5:57.

“It’s three minutes until six o’clock.”

“six o’clock? i have to go wake Papyrus! get home safe, alright? see you later LIon!”

“Later!” You watched as Sans had took off into the snow, his slippers sending up snow in his wake. You were about to turn around when you felt something grab a hold of you from the back. Before you had time to react, you could feel the floor sliding out from under you, you closing your eyes in fear. In went quiet and then the sudden blast of snow had surrounded you. You hesitantly opened your eyes. You were once again in front of the Ruin doors.


	9. A Sister To Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With hopes of change and the need for groceries, the group heads to Snowdin, where things take a turn for the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking forever. I let the time get away from me. Here you go! I'll be updating tomorrow so keep a look out for that!

The walk back wasn’t so harsh. Of course, it was still pretty early in the morning so you had to be very quiet going up the stairs. From the basement stairs, you could hear the quiet snuffles of the others, Temmie’s snores particularly louder than the others. It was around six in the morning. There was no way you’d be able to get any sleep now. You made your way to the windows and peered out into the Ruins. Still dark? You shrugged and continued into the kitchen, flicking on the light switch at your right. Asgore was normally a heavy sleeper and so were the others. You figured that you’d just make breakfast for them. But what to make? Suddenly, a certain small memory came to light. Your mother, or, at least that’s what your mind was telling you, used to make a special breakfast item from various things in the kitchen. What was it? Ah.   
You looked in the fridge, your eyes landing on a pack of tortillas. Wait. Why did Asgore have tortillas in his fridge? You weren’t exactly fond of tortillas but your mother used them to conceal the contents of the heavenly meal that is a breakfast burrito. You took out the tortillas, placing the entire pack on the counter. Scanning around the refrigerator, you spotted the rest of the goods: eggs, hash browns, cheese, and some bacon, which you were mildly confused about. You set each item separately onto the counter, starting on the bacon first. You washed your hands thoroughly, cutting open the bacon container with a claw. Ever so carefully, you pulled apart and laid the strips onto a flat pan, letting them sizzle as you worked on the other items. You put the hash browns on a pan and slid them into the oven, letting them cook for awhile. You scrambled each egg that you cracked, tipping the bowl into a pan to cook. For the tortillas, you just used your fire magic to heat them up, because nobody likes a cold burrito. I mean, some people might, but you couldn’t just assume things. The house began to smell strongly of sizzling bacon. It was a joyous scent. You peered into the dining room, the place quiet and dark. Nobody was up yet. Or so you thought.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, get up.” Frisk grumbled, covering their eyes and batting at the impatient Temmie at their side.

“Dude. Get up.”

“What do you want, peasant?”

“Do you smell that?” Frisk stopped pushing away Temmie to sniff the air. Temmie was right. It smelled like… bacon? This better not be a joke. The last time Frisk had bacon was back on the surface. That shit was a rarity. 

“Is that-”

“Bacon?” The duo slowly crept out of bed, stopping to eye the barren bed at the other side of the room. Where’d Lion gone? Frisk was sure that she was asleep when they came in last night. What time was it? Temmie had slowly opened the door, Frisk closing it behind them. The whole house was quiet, the only exception being the quiet sizzling coming from the kitchen. Temmie and Frisk stuck to the sides of the hallway, only stopping to jump at the sound of Asgore’s room door opening. The said goat had peered out into the hallway at the two children, his pajamas rustling from the sudden action. 

“Is that bacon?”

“We think so. Wanna join us?”

“Heck yeah.” Asgore, Temmie, and Frisk had all started to tiptoe down the length of the hallway, going full mission impossible mode when a figure from the kitchen had peered out into the dining room. The trio continued, stopping when they were all at the doorway of the kitchen. Just as nobody had suspected: Lion was indeed the source of the smell, busy at work doing something tedious. She was clad in a golden apron, the overly large dark navy sweater covering the majority of her gray shorts. Her long hair was held back in a bushy ponytail, fuzz coming out here and there. She appeared to be humming a melodic tune, busily checking the items on the stove and rewinding the timers. Why was she cooking was the question. 

“Hey Lion!” She’d started, almost dropping the hot skillet in her paws but catching it by the rim before it hit the ground.

“What’cha doing?”

“Trying not to have an aneurysm. How about you?” Lion was gasping for breath, her fur puffed out in fear. She looked like a giant ball of fluffy fur with glasses. 

“What are you making?” It was Asgore this time, who was suspiciously peering over Lion’s head, eyeing the food on the stove.

“Nothing special. Just breakfast.”

“But I thought Asgore normally made breakfast.” Temmie had piped up.

“Not this time! It will be ready in a couple of minutes! You’ll see.” With great flexibility, Lion pushed the trio out of the kitchen, her golden apron swaying behind her as she went back to cooking. Temmie had eyed Frisk with a dubious glance, Frisk returning the expression, as they made their way back to the dining table. Temmie had wandered over to the now sleepy Asgore, Frisk going back to their room for some paper and drawing materials. Once they were done, they came back, laying out their materials on the shiny wooden table. That’s right. Lion had cleaned the house yesterday. Temmie had come to watch Frisk draw, Frisk taking up a yellow crayon in their toddler fingers in hopes of inspiration. They were never good at coloring but tried hard to match their peers. They ended up drawing a buttercup. Eugh. They really needed to stop drawing artsy fartsy soft stuff. It was starting to wear on them. As they went to grab for another crayon, Lion had emerged from the kitchen, plates of food balanced precariously on her head. Asgore had emerged from his sleepy stupor, ogling the food that Lion was now setting on the dining table. 

“Here, you hobgoblins. Eat up.” Lion’s charm may have been low, but whatever she’d cooked smelled phenomenal. In front of Frisk lay a burrito that was bigger than their hand. It was filled with something, the goods obscured by a flap of warm tortilla. Temmie had been first to take a shot at the food, their face obscured by the sheer size of the burrito.

“Whoa. This is pretty good.” Their compliment went unnoticed as Lion was too busy cleaning up in the kitchen. Weren’t you gonna eat too? Frisk had started on their burrito, taking in the deliciousness of the goods inside. Asgore was inhaling his, his face being the only one that wasn’t obscured by the foodstuff. The entire room smelled of meaty diabetes, the sound of food being ripped from it’s cousin filling the room. Asgore had completely downed his, sighing with content, while Temmie and Frisk were struggling to finish half of theirs. Lion had finished up in the kitchen, padding out into the dining room.

“You guys can just save that for later. I know it’s filling but you guys look like you're struggling.” 

“Ugh. Can you bring us some containers?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks sis.” Lion headed back into the kitchen, coming out with two plastic containers. Frisk and Temmie had each took one, storing the remains of their burritos for later. Lion had stored the containers in the fridge, heading back into the room for nefarious purposes unknown. Asgore had said something about a store while heading to his room. Frisk and Temmie had took off towards their own room, turning off the dining room light. When they’d got there, Lion was face down on her bed, the fluffy comforters covering her frame.

“Are you sleeping?”

“Nope. Just resting my eye holes.” Frisk had gone to sit at the head of Lion’s bed, a small frown playing on their face. Lion’s eyes were indeed closed, her glasses askew on the bridge of her muzzle.

“You’re not going to go to sleep, are you?”

“Nah. I’m just gonna sit here and do absolutely nothing.”

“What about venturing through Snowdin? We could make it to the actual city today.”

“Hmm. I-”

“Adventuring won’t be necessary.” Asgore had piped up from the doorway, his mighty black tunic draped across the ground.

“I was going to ask that you three get dressed. We need to go and get some items from the Snowdin shop. Thirty minutes is the time frame.” With that, Asgore left the room, leaving Frisk, Temmie, and Lion to get dressed. Frisk moved from the head of Lion’s bed, patting her between the ears as they spoke. Her hair was soft and fluffy to the touch. Lion grumbled and sank deeper into the blankets, not making a comment at the head pets.

“Get up and get dressed Lion. You too Temmie.” Lion had lazily rolled over, her back now facing the duo as she continued to not get up. Frisk had grumbled, taking out their purple tunic and Temmie’s sweater. The two had dressed facing away from each other, eyeing the still resting Lion who had yet to get dressed.

“Come on Lion! Get dressed!”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay.” Lion had pushed herself out of bed, padding over to the closet to get her own tunic. Frisk and Temmie had faced away as Lion had put on her tunic, giving an uncomfortable grunt once the deed was done. She didn’t like the thing but she wore it regardless.

“Are you three ready to go?” 

“Almost. Just give us a sec’.” The trio had fetched their messenger bags, Lion stuffing her navy blue sweater and a notebook in there. Once the three were done, they all arrived out and into the parlor, looking like total goobers. Asgore had finished locking up behind him, and had began to lead them all down the basement stairs. The trip through the corridor was as boring as ever, and even Frisk had to admit that this was the most boring part of the journey. Asgore had easily pushed open the double sets of double doors, closing and locking them behind him. Frisk and Temmie had instinctively latched onto Lion, who said nothing as the group began to move north. The trip was not that exciting, the harsh whip of the snow making Frisk’s face raw and sensitive. Temmie was shielding themselves behind Asgore’s massive ears, and Asgore ,who’d been using his fire magic to light the way, didn’t look too keen at the weather. Frisk had been riding on Lion’s shoulders, the monster child never wavering with each paw step through the deep snow. While the kid was warmer than usual, Frisk was dying with an effort to ask them to use their fire magic. But the words would never come. The snow beat relentlessly, the tips of the pine trees swaying in the harsh breeze. And yet, everything was so peaceful. 

“Papyrus! Papyrus, where are you?” A lone voice came from the dark dense foliage of the forest, Asgore jumping with surprise. Frisk had latched onto Lion’s hair, and said person was busy starting up their own warm fire magic. Out from the forest came a lone child, clad in a thick winter jacket, thick sweatpants, and some heavy-looking snow boots. Oh. It was Chara.

“Chara? What are you doing out here?” The group had began to start towards Chara, Frisk and Temmie instinctively reeling back. That damn kid. What were they up to this time? At the sight of the group, Chara had come running up, throwing themselves at Asgore. Lion had turned towards Asgore with unbridled surprise, the goat monster clutching the small human child with the biggest smile on his muzzle. 

“Oh? You’re safe! Thank goodness! I’d thought i’d lost you to the queen!” While Asgore was busy hugging the small child, Lion had began to rip off branches from the nearby trees, putting them together to create a huge campfire. Frisk had hopped off Lion’s shoulders, taking in the limited warmth in joyous revelry. The group had come to settle near the fire, Asgore and Chara busy at talk. Temmie had come to sit beside Frisk, their dark eyes, stormy with a greatly known emotion between the two. Frisk had turned to say something to Lion but stopped. Where’d she go? Frisk shrugged. Probably off to collect more firewood for the campfire.  
While said person was gone, Frisk and Temmie lay beside each other, the warmth sinking into their clothes. How long had it been since the last reset? It’d been almost a month, the inconvenience being how long it had been. Chara’s last run had been of a genocidal one, their sinister smile illuminating those oh so familiar beady red eyes. Ah. Frisk had remembered every detail: the sight of Asgore bleeding out onto the stone floor, his chocolate brown eyes glazing over. The stench of blood that would never leave the area and the plastic knife that rested in the elderly goat’s pile of dust would forever haunt Frisk’s dreams. The sight of that cerulean scarf, hanging ripped from the ashy pine trees. The rapidly spreading stain of blood that issued from the skeleton’s battle body had been melancholic disturbing, and said skeleton had been so sure that Chara would turn their back on their murderous ways. They didn’t. The mess of dust and DETERMINATION that was Undyne. The sound of ripping flesh and splintering bones would haunt that memory, and another memory of Undyne resurfaced, with tears running down her cheeks, cursing the day the human fell into the Underground. The screams of monsters running for their lives, interrupted by the child with the dusty knife and the sinister smile. And dust was everywhere: on the floors, in the water, in the air. They’d made their mark. And the equally sinister look on Papyrus's face as he retaliated with every timeline, sometimes winning, while others ended with a blood-soaked hoodie. And Frisk could only watch as the merciless slaughter went on, them having nothing to cry for as the smell of dust and blood filtered through the air. The last timeline was also different, getting to see Alphys die this time around. And Chara could only continue to grin as they came across the chair and the noose, a lifeless scientist hanging from its grasp. They didn’t cut the body down or anything, but opted to murder everyone after that, and by everyone, Chara killed EVERYBODY. Monster kid, Catty and Bratty, Gerson, Burgerpants, hell, they even found a way to kill Gaster… The kid was a killing machine, killing anything and anyone who came to mind. Temmie had tried to stop the kid along with a close friend of theirs, whose name avoids the light. Despite the massive advantage with the six souls at their sides, Chara had felled the two friends and had walked to victory, only to slaughter the mass of humans with their massive amount of power. The only ones left to watch the carnage was Napstablook and Frisk. Napstablook had found a way to truly return to the afterlife, dying again to rejoin his dead cousin's. Frisk was left to watch the extinction of humanity, only for Chara to reset once more, in hopes of more fun the next time around. And this time, Frisk had stayed quiet. Lion was the only anomaly in this generation of timelines, and from the look on Chara’s face when the two met, the kid was planning something sinister with Frisk’s sister. The worst part was, for every time Chara refused to finish a timeline, they would push Frisk into the fray, into whatever clusterfuck they’d gotten themselves into. And Frisk had to go along with it. Because everybody believed Frisk was the bad guy around here, when really, Frisk just wanted to die peacefully and stop with the hellish resets and restarting timelines. They wanted to go rejoin their long-gone adopted brother. Anything. Anything but here. But Lion was that substitute, taking care of them and defending them from harm, something Asgore never did, as he rarely ever left the Ruins. All he ever did was dwell on the children that he let adventure by themselves into the Underground. The human children who died at the hands of the queen. Frisk saw something of a sister in Lion. Hopefully, they wouldn’t lose her trust…

It had been awhile, the snow coming down softer and the lights of Snowdin displaying the afternoon. Chara, who’d been chatting with Asgore had stopped to point out the still snow, Frisk and Temmie staying far behind. Frisk looked off into the dark forest. It’d been two hours and Lion still had yet to return. Suddenly, Frisk’s blood ran cold. What if she got injured? What if she died? Temmie seemed to have the same idea, both standing and listening for any signs of the cat monster. Nothing but the howling wind to greet their disappointed and fearful looks. To be honest, Frisk was terrified of being alone, wanting Lion to be there to protect them from Chara’s wrath. 

“I’ll stay here to give Asgore the notice. You go and find Lion.”

“Right.” Temmie had stayed at the campsite, watching as Frisk vanished into the underbrush. Frisk had began to pelt through the snow, their boots whipping up the snow behind them. It was very dark back here, the snow and wind never reaching into the dense woodlands beyond the path. 

“Lion! Lion, are you out there!” They’d gotten relatively far when they saw it. A faint outline of something propped up against a tree. Frisk slowly approached the figure, shrinking back to discover that it was Lion. But she was out cold. What happened? Lion had cuts and bruises lining the skin of her body, small chunks of her tail missing. Her ears had been nicked, the right ear missing a hefty chunk and streams of blood dried and now scabbing dotting her face. Her face was turning a muffled blue, mixed with some purples, the same colors as her paws. She was icy to the touch. Like dunking your hands in the Snowdin rivers. What the hell had happened to her? Frisk was much tinier than Lion, not being able to carry her all the way back to the campsite. What were they gonna do now? Frisk had began to softly weep, nuzzling deeper into Lion's body to give the monster warmth. A muffled squish of boots had rapidly advanced, the foliage parting to reveal two cloaked figures. Well, not really cloaked. It was Papyrus and Sans. Frisk had immediately stopped sobbing, wiping away their salty tears to glare at the two brothers. Anybody but these two. 

“What happened? Lion! Are you okay?” Sans had came to check on the monster child, resting his hand on Lion’s forehead.

“Frisk. What did you do?” Papyrus’s tone was dark, the tall skeleton eyeing the child with distaste and mild hatred.

“I didn’t do anything! She’d disappeared to go collect firewood, I think, and she was gone for two hours, and I came to look for her and-”

“That’s enough. Sans. Help me lift her.”

“But-”

“Enough. We’ll take her with us to our home. Is there anybody else who’s waiting for you back at the campsite?”

“Yeah. Asgore, Chara, and Temmie.” Papyrus and Sans had looked surprised to hear that Chara had gotten out of the house, reassuring themselves that Frisk didn’t do anything to the child, falsely.

“Tell Asgore and Temmie to go home, and tell Chara to come back. You’re welcome to come with us but don’t try anything funny.” 

“Sure.” Frisk had turned on their heel, sprinting back the way they came. The others were still at the campsite, Asgore and Chara STILL talking. Frisk gave an annoyed snarl. Temmie had noticed and had joined them at their side again.

“Lion got hurt. Real bad. Sans and Papyrus are taking her back to their house. Let's go.” Temmie grumbled something and took out a piece of paper from their messenger bag. They wrote the words “at the Skeleton Brother’s house” on it with black ink and propped it up on their messenger bag. Without a backwards glance, the two took off from the campsite, cursing Asgore’s enrapture with the human child. Frisk was starting to think that the elderly goat didn't care about them as much as he apparently cared about Chara. The campsite wasn’t close to Snowdin, Temmie and Frisk having to crawl through puzzles and evade the late dog patrols in order to reach the bridge of Snowdin.


	10. The Truth About Their Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a tiny backlight as to what has happened and a new tension unfolds as the plan engages into small actions. But where do you fit in all of this madness?

You could hear the small whispers of static filling your ears, the harsh light of the anti-void filling your head. You rubbed at your eyes with your paws, the residue of a long sleep spilling away, and crumbling into nothing. It sure didn’t look like when you were in the anti-void. Instead of the natural bright light, you were greeted with a silvery-gray backdrop, both sides swamped with a pitch black lighting. You really didn’t want to know what was back there. It seemed as though there was a path leading somewhere beneath you, the navy brick path leading to somewhere beyond your reach. You started to walk, the claws of your toes clicking on the stone. As you walked, you began to hear something other than static. It was the sound of… somebody... screaming? You turned your head to the sides, scanning the pitch black voids beside you. The voids seemed almost familiar. Meh. Probably some satanic shit going on in there or something. You continued forward, ignoring the cries of the forbidden, which seemingly got louder with every step. A silhouette appeared on the distant horizon, walking slowly towards you. Nope. Fuck that shit. You went to take a step back but tripped, falling flat on your back, and crushing your tail underneath you. A blast of hot pain swept through your body, you tail crooked and out of place. It was gonna take forever that get that straightened out. 

“pff! what are you doing here, kid?” Alas, the buttstabber maniac was just Error. But he also looked different. Why was he wearing a trench coat and a bowler hat? You shook your head to clear your thoughts, rolling onto your paws to stand.

“Tibia honest, I have no idea why I’m here.”

“did you just-”

“Oops. Damn these unintentional puns!”

“have you been hanging around with paps for too long? the guy will do that to ya’.”

“I have not! In fact, I don’t think I fell asleep. I’d know if I’d fell asleep.”

“hmm. this piques my interest. so you say that you don’t know how or if you fell asleep, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“what’s the last thing you remember?” You put your paw on your chin, thinking hard but remembering only a small detail.

“I remember leaving the campsite to go find some firewood for the fire. That’s it. Everything after that is really blurred.”

“that seems about right. it does show in this timeline that you don’t die, so hey, that should help. maybe you just blacked out from the cold?”

“I’m pretty sure that if I was cold, I would’ve just used my fire magic to heat myself up.”

“welp. whatever you say. by the way, i don’t think you're still in that forest, so be cautious when you wake up. and don’t think this is our last meeting. you’ll be back very soon. see you later.” 

“Peace.” With that, the veil of gray and black vanished, leaving you feeling extremely dizzy. You abruptly sat up, rubbing the residue of sleep off of your eyes. Wherever you were, it was very warm. You gave a yawn, it coming out as a very high mewl. Dammit!

“Well that’s adorable.” You started, opening your eyes in surprise.

“No need to worry, Lion. It’s just us, Papyrus and Sans.”

“Papyrus?” How did Papyrus get here? No. Why were Papyrus and Sans here?

“Papyrus, what happened? I can’t remember anything.” Your head hurt badly, and you couldn’t feel your legs. Something most definitely went awry with your hearing, and you could feel that something was really, really wrong, As you took the time to look around, you found yourself in a house. It was brightly lit, the house giving off a cozy and homely feeling. Was this the skeleton brother’s house?

“well, to answer your question, something weird happened in the woods. frisk had reported that you went missing for a couple hours, only for them to find you propped up against a tree in the middle of nowhere. you were badly injured and it’s a good thing they found you in time. you could’ve died from hypothermia if you were out there longer than you were.” You were confused. What happened in the woods? And aren’t the woods pretty far from here?

“Here. Have some tea. I put some honey in there to help. Make sure to drink all of it.” Papyrus had set a giant cup of tea on the table beside their couch. Sans, who was the person sitting next to you, watched carefully as you picked up the steaming cup. While you rarely put honey in your tea, it was amusing to try new things. You lifted the cup to your mouth, the temperature of the tea hot but not scalding. You could most definitely taste the honey. It was good. You took little breaks between finishing the tea, Sans cheering you on to finish the rest. You drank the last couple sips, the tea going down smoothly. Papyrus had soon come out to take your dish. You wanted to help clean the dish, but you couldn’t move. Great.

“as of orders from Papyrus, you’re to stay here while you recover from your bout. no buts!” A sleepover? Um, no thank you. You got homesick way too easily, taking Asgore’s house as a home, but now that you mentioned it, where was he? And where was Frisk and Temmie?

“Where are the others?” Your voice sounded dry and brittle, cracking in some spots. Papyrus was first to answer.

“Asgore, Frisk, and Temmie are returning tomorrow to come and get you. Don’t worry. We won’t keep you here longer than we have to.”

“we won’t?” Hmm? You looked over at Sans, his cerulean eyes more shiny and sparkly than normal. He seemed to be pleading silently with Papyrus, who only sent him a look of exasperation. He then turned back to you, an apologetic look on his face.

“you can stay here until you get better. as for now, it’s time to go back to sleep.” Sans had gotten up from the couch, clothed in his casual wear from earlier. Papyrus was too, no longer in his normal orange hoodie and shorts, but in a long tee shirt and some sweatpants. As they made their way up the stairs, you sank deeper into the lumpy couch, letting your eyes close on their own.

“if you need anything, feel free to wake us up!” And with that, the two brothers had disappeared into their rooms. You felt the lights automatically go out, the feeling of something watching you, quickly ushered into the room. You wanted to turn over to see what it was but your brain was telling you to mind your own business. You continued to try to sleep, the simple task never coming.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk sat vacantly, idly watching as the hours ticked by. Asgore had told them that Lion would be back soon, but only to no avail. What had happened? Midway across the bridge, Asgore had caught Frisk and Temmie, telling them to go back home and wait for him. Chara had followed after Asgore, shooting the duo a very mischievous look. It snowed much harder on the way back, the night storms a lot harsher than those in the daylight. Temmie was draped across Lion’s bed, covered in the maroon comforters that covered her bed. It was much more quieter than normal, what with Lion being gone. Frisk didn’t feel like drawing. They didn’t feel like taking a walk in the Ruins either. They only wished that the skeleton brothers and Chara wouldn’t hurt Lion. If they did, then there was nothing Frisk could do. Sure, they could attempt to take over Chara’s body, but since when did that work? The only reason they were on the physical plane was because Lion’s SOULS had given them enough power to do such.   
Things were bad as everything was going to shit. Why wasn’t Asgore paying attention suddenly? It was probably Chara. Where was he when Lion was hurt? When Frisk was hurt? To be honest, Frisk knew that Asgore was just a liability. Even when he was their adopted father, he never truly cared, seeming to forget that Frisk was ever there. The only ones who ever cared about them were Temmie and As- A loud knock issued on the door, two people peeking in from the hallway. One was Asgore, the worried look on his face, not expressing much. The other person just happened to be Chara, in which Frisk swallowed hard at. It wouldn’t be so bad if Lion was here to protect them. Frisk would admit, that there was a reason they kept coming back to the physical plane. The only reason was to find a way to die. They were sick of all these nonsense timelines, wishing only for it to end. But it wouldn’t.

“I hope you do not mind, my child, but it seems as though Chara has to stay here for the time being.”

“I don’t mind. Nor does Temmie.” At that, Temmie hopped off of Lion’s bed, coming to lay at the foot of Frisk’s bed. Chara had stepped in, a falsely apologetic look playing on their lips. After Asgore had closed the door, that was when Frisk had completely shut down.

“So. How long do you plan on cowering behind Asgore’s shadow? You DO know that it’s going to end, sooner or later, right?” Chara’s words stung, and Frisk had flinched from the serious tone.

“I’ll cower as long as it’s necessary.”

“Oh really? Are you going to cower behind that anomaly as well? She’s pretty fun to mess with, huh?”

“There’s no way-”

“What? You think I bothered myself with touching that filthy lump of fur? I just had the local Icecaps and Snowdrakes do it.”

“How dare you-”

“Quiet now, or Asgore won’t think too highly of you, won’t he? The point is, you’re just stalling the inevitable truth: that this timeline will crumble, and so will the next one, and the one after that. And look at you! Here you are, sniffling over a monster child that’s going to help me erase monster kind and humanity.”

“That enough, Chara.” Temmie had spoke from the foot of the bed, rubbing their tiny white paws on their temples. 

“Oh? So now you’re going to but in? I was hoping that i’d ridden myself of you last time Temmie. Honestly, you’re such a pest. Hey, how’s Asriel doing?” Frisk’s blood had ran cold. They slowly turned to Temmie, a look of mass horror appearing on their face. 

“Hahaha! So you haven’t told them yet, have you? For all the timelines I’ve erased, you STILL haven’t-”

“Shut up Chara. Nobody asked you for your feedback.”

“Oh, so you’re-”

“I SAID SHUT UP! YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING BUT YOU DON’T! YOU THINK IT’S EASY HAVING TO RECONCILE ASRIEL FOR EVERYTHING HE’S BEEN THROUGH?! YOU THINK IT’S EASY HAVING TO TELL HIM THAT EVERYTHING IS AS SHITTY AS IT IS, AND THAT HIS SIBLING IS BEING TORTURED BY A SICK DEMON THAT DOESN’T KNOW WHEN TO QUIT?! I’M SICK OF YOU RUINING EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE, TAKING WHAT’S NOT YOURS AND RUINING IT! ALL YOU DO IS KILL THINGS! THAT’S IT! YOU THINK IT’S EASY HAVING TO ACCEPT THAT YOUR LIFE IS MEANINGLESS AND THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, IT’S WORTH NOTHING?” By this time, a flood of tears was racing down Temmie’s cheeks, soaking the bedspread beneath them.

“THAT EVERYTHING IS POINTLESS, AND THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, IT AMOUNTS TO NOTHING! AND I DON’T CARE ANYMORE! I’M SICK OF THIS! SO KILL ME ALL YOU WANT, BUT KNOW THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, I’LL JUST KEEP COMING BACK. AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, YOU’LL BE STUCK WITH ALL OF US ON THE CLUSTERFUCK OF BAD TIMES. SO DO WHAT YOU WANT, YOU DEMON. JUST LEAVE US ALONE, AND GO TORTURE SOMEBODY ELSE.” Chara had continued to smirk at the exhausted Temmie, who’d now come to rest on Frisk’s lap, still sobbing harshly, despite their soaked sweater. Frisk had gently began to rub Temmie’s back, tears running down their cheeks, despite being surprised by the fact that Asriel was… alive. Chara had walked out of the room, supposedly to go and check on Asgore.  
Frisk was… well… What, with Temmie now asleep and with Chara gone out of the room, Frisk just zoned out. They casted their ruby red eyes onto the jar or hot pink glitter that sat on their desk, using it during the time when they sent Papyrus that letter. The letter entailed something of a picture. What it was, Frisk couldn’t say. They had drawn it out of frustration and rage, scribbling wildly with a spare pencil and having the urge to just send it somewhere. Frisk gave a depressed sigh and leaned against the headboard, the faint smell of citrus and vanilla that was Lion, had been covered up by the scent of dust and blood. It was only natural that the skeleton brothers couldn’t smell it, as they didn’t have noses. Frisk could only guess that their plan would take more time. Sans was still calibrating the whereabouts and the paradoxes, and Frisk and Temmie could only hope to stall Chara before they found out. It was their one true escape, and if this worked, than they’d be free, and Sans would fulfill his goal.


	11. How To Fix A Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With your bout of mysterious sickness gone, you can head back to the Ruins. After the long journey, you meet up with a friend who shows you how to do something.

It had taken a quarter of a long time to wake again, the soft sound of a fan slightly filling into your ears. You opened your eyes, taking in the dim house that awaited your rise from your slumber. You yawned quietly, remembering that you were in the skeleton brother's house, them taking pity on your sick form and nursing you back to health. How you hated having others taking pity on you. You were nothing to pity and you kept your pride in high regards. Nonetheless, you swung your paws off of the lumpy couch, stopping to stretch, a few bones clicking into place. You gave a sigh of relief and slowly got to your paws. To test the waters, so to speak. You began to feel very lightheaded, sitting back down to gather your strength for one more attempt. As you got to your paws, a door from upstairs had opened with a loud creak, the figure of Sans coming to watch your futile attempts at standing.

“you should lay back down. you’re still sick.”

“Sick I may be, but weak, I am not! I shall conquer this sickness! Just… as soon as I… can stand.” You fell back onto the couch, sighing in defeat. This did not mean that you’d give up, no. Sans had came down the stairs and into the kitchen, still in his casual wear. It felt normal to see him in his casual wear rather than his battle body. What would Papyrus look like in a battle body? You shrugged away the thought, heaving yourself onto your paws to try once more. The difficulty of you trying to stand was much, much harder, thanks to your haunches that were much like an animal’s. Instead of rising your knee, you had to lift your leg first, making the task so much more frustrating than it would be for somebody with human legs and a functioning knee. Dammit! You fell back onto the couch, staring angrily at your useless stocky limbs. The only way out of this would be shameful and pitiful. In no way were you walking out of here on all fours. It was demeaning. You’d rather suffer and try to walk on your two legs than on all of them. 

“can you stand yet?”

“Nope.”

“do you need help?”

“No. I can do this. I just need to focus.” Sans had come to sit beside you, smirking with mirth as you tried to stand again, only to fail and fall. This would take a while. It seems as though his grin just got bigger as you could only hope that what happened next wouldn't be too embarrassing.

“i think you need help.”

“I don’t!”

“speaking of which, can’t you just walk on all fours?” You whipped your head around to glare at the small skeleton, his grin reaching the corner of his eyes.

“I can, but I will never do so.” 

“oh, come on now-”

“Sans.”

“no need to be-”

“Sans I-”

“-so” 

“I swear to the dickens, if you-”

“purrsistent.” You facepalmed, the sound of it echoing in the living room. Sans began to howl with laughter, Papyrus grumbling something from his room upstairs.

“oh come on now. you know that pun was clawsome.” You gave a loud sigh, and glared at the small skeleton who was literally choking on his own tears from laughing too hard. That and the fact that the taco he was trying to eat was now all over his clothes. Revenge.

“Oh hardy har har. Very fun- THIS IS SERIOUS!” By now you were steaming, still trying to stand on your paws. Oh look. You were unevenly balancing on your feet, your tail pinned against the ground to hold you steady.

“oh hey, looks like you got it. barely.” Sans had stood from the couch, taking his dishes with him into the kitchen. You continued to balance, trying to put your arms down, as to not look like a bumbling idiot. 

“now for the real challenge.”

“Oh? What’s going on down here?” Papyrus had awoken from whatever coma he was in, stopping at the foot of the stairs to watch your embarrassing act of trying to stand. Sans gave a small mischievous giggle from the corner of the kitchen.

“the monster child cannot stand, papyrus! we must help her!” 

“I do not need help-”

“she denies the truth!”

“The only truth here is that I CAN walk!”

“Okay then. Walk out of the house. Without touching any furniture or the walls.” Dammit. He knew your scheme and has thwarted you firmly. You narrowed your eyes at Papyrus, his confident smirk holding a shit ton of challenge.

“You’re on.” You lifted your right foot gingerly, the other paw becoming severely unbalanced. As you began to tip backwards, you quickly shot out your right paw, the limb hitting the soft carpet. Oh dear god. You looked as if you were trying to do the splits, but as the same time, pretending that the floor was lava. In short, you looked like a doofus. From behind you, you could hear Papyrus and Sans’s wild giggles of laughter.

“K-keep going, kid. *snort* Your *cackled* a-almost there.” Damn you Papyrus. As you went to lift your left leg from it’s place, you heard a loud snap issue from the limb. Papyrus had dropped something, which was himself, and Sans had almost keeled over, holding onto the wall in surprise.

“Guess I forgot to pull that one this morning.” You pretended to be nonchalant, snide about making them almost gag. Revenge was sweet. You lifted your left leg, switching to leaning on your right paw. As you progressed towards the door, you got better and better until you could finally stop holding your arms out and using your tail as a balancer. You had finally gotten to the doorknob. Sans and Papyrus had stopped staring to watch you open the door, a strong and icy blast of wind blowing roughly through your hair. Ah. Sweet, sweet relief.

“good job monster child! are you sure you are well enough to walk through the snow?” You turned your head and raised a paw, cloaking it in your warm fire magic. With a tiny eyebrow waggle, you stepped out of the house. You were still wearing your thick tunic, the layers splaying out in the snow. Jeez, it was cold! 

“wait!” Sans had ran out from the house, cloaked in his battle body. Darn. He changed fast. You preferred his casual wear. Oh well. 

“papyrus said that i should escort you to your location! let’s go!” Funny, as just a couple minutes ago, he was making fun of your inability to walk. Certainly a prince charming, alright. You waved goodbye to Papyrus, who’d been watching the two of you leave from the upstairs balcony. The skeleton brothers were fun to hang with, but you had to get home. How long had you been out? It was apparently sometime in the very early morning, the small town of Snowdin barely lit and the commoners all tucked away until the morning. It just hit you that this was your first time in Snowdin, as you and Frisk had never ventured this far. Sans was preoccupied with a crossword, unintentionally tapping the pen across his right cheek. You took the time to survey your surroundings. There was nothing but houses to your left, but on your right there were plenty of things: a small building with the sign “librarby” etched into it, some igloos, another neighborhood, a small cafe called “Muffet’s”, and two buildings that were apparently the shops of the town. Wait. Wasn’t this where Asgore had been heading the other day? Everything was so jumbled.

“so i have a question for you.” Sans had finally spoken up from his crossword, the thing finished with… surprisingly amazing accuracy. His cerulean eyes were locked onto your amber ones, holding you in an attention battle.

“Shoot away.”

“how did you get in the Ruins?” 

“How?”

“yeah. how exactly did you get in the Ruins? the underground keeps a record of who lives where, and you don’t show up anywhere. undyne checked, and she’s never wrong. so where did you come from?” There was a steady silence, the slosh of your paws echoing in the freshly fallen snow. Sans had been waiting for an answer, and to be honest, you had to tell the truth. No matter how weird it sounded.

“Well, this may seem… really, really strange, but I sort of fell into the Ruins.”

“you fell into the ruins?” And there was that dubious look.

“I can’t exactly explain it correctly, but all I remember was running, and some voices, before waking up in a bed of golden flowers. And I just sort of met Frisk, Temmie, and Asgore, and things went on.”

“what i’m hearing right now is that you, whom is a monster, has fallen from the surface. is that about right?”

“The… the surface?” 

“the place where humans dwell? we monsters live directly underneath it.”

“Now that you mention it, the hole was pretty far away from where the bed of flowers were. It was really light in there.”

“yep. that was probably what the humans call “the sun”. so a monster came from the surface. but you don’t exactly remember anything before that. no other monsters up there? or did the humans kill them all?” The questions were coming hard and fast, and you beginning to feel dizzy. 

“I... I can’t remember… anything. I’m trying to but I just… can’t.”

“i see.” The rest of the journey was long and silent, Sans stopping along the way to recalibrate some of his puzzles, while you idly sat on the cliff and looked out into the woods. From the corner of your eye, you spotted a piece of yellow and green fabric dangling from a lone tree. It felt… strangely familiar. You shook your head to clear the thought, as Sans was calling you back. 

When it’d came for the time to go back into the Ruins, you were a little apprehensive, Sans staring holes into the back of your head. You stepped up to the door, giving five short knocks. With a loud click, the stone doors swung open towards you, the dark atmosphere making the hairs on your tail stand.

“well. see ya’ around kid.”

“S-see ya’.” Without a backwards glance, you stepped into the Ruins, the stone doors silently clicking shut behind you. You silently continued onto the next pair, pushing and closing them shut. It was cold. You made your way around the corner, starting up the stairs with utmost silence. But there wasn’t silence. Somebody was chatting in the dining room. You ignored the loud conversation and made your way to your room, opening and closing the door shut. 

“Lion?” You slowly turned around, coming to face the eager faces of Frisk and Temmie.

“Yo.” The two had thrown themselves at you, crushing every bit of oxygen that you had left. You hugged the two back, going to sit down on your bed.

“Apparently, that’s Chara’s bed now.” Frisk had grumbled to you, their arms crossed in anger.

“Hmm? Chara’s here?”

“Yeah. Can you make them go away, sis?” What? Temmie was in on this sister thing too? Jeez.

“I’m afraid I can’t exercise authority on anybody. Sorry.” You gave a shrug of defeat and just opted for the floor.

“You can’t just lay on the floor sis! That's not right!”

“I can, and I will. I’m fine, really.” Frisk and Temmie wore equally distressed frowns on their faces, but Temmie had been the first to speak between the two.

“Oh, that’s right! You know how there’s different parts of the Underground?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, Frisk and I want to take you to a place called Waterfall. You like the rain, right?”

“There’s rain down here?” You loved the sound of the rain, and if this Waterfall place had rain, then off to Waterfall you would go!

“Yeah! There’s a buddy there who I want you to meet!” Frisk had stopped and had worriedly eyed Temmie, who sent a confident smile back in their direction.

“So? What do ya’ say?” The two looked hopeful, their bubbly gazes killing you with affection. You gave a defeated sigh.

“Fine. I’ll go.”

“Yes! Although, we still have to prepare for the journey. It’s a long ways to Waterfall. But more specifically, the place in Waterfall that we want to show you.” Even though it was still early, that long walk took the load out of you. You gave a low yawn and leaned against the door of the closet, sitting uncomfortably on the floor.

“Are you going to sleep?”

“Yup.”

“Okay.” Frisk was going to say something else, but you fell asleep, the gentle snuffles of your slumber quietly sifting through the room. 

 

Again with the static. You could feel the floor of the anti-void under your paws, it's cold floors making you shiver. You rubbed the sleep residue from your eyes, coming face to face with Error. No, he was literally a of couple inches away from your face.

“May I help you with something..?”

“actually, you can. i’ve been waiting for ages for you to fall asleep.” Error began to lead you through the anti-void, the sound of static fading into the background. You could hear the pit pat of your paws against the floor, somehow confused as to how the void had floors or how sound could move in here.

“Really now?”

“yup. it’s time to show you the basics of regulating the timelines.” He led you to a wide array of panels, the multitude of timelines blinking a fierce red. 

“Is that bad?”

“yup. means there’s a glitch in that timeline that we have to get rid of. any suggestions?” You scratched your chin, thinking hard of a solution.

“Well, if it’s a data problem then you could just erase the coding. Maybe you have to pull them into the void or something.”

“actually, for any cases of glitches, you have to kill the glitch. you have to pull the glitch into the void and kill em’. simple as that.”

“Wait, what?! You can’t just kill someone like that! What if that person has people who remember them? Family? Friends? Anybody? Wouldn’t that cause a paradox of some sort?”

“once you pull somebody into the void, all memories of that person disappear temporarily. if that person remains in the void, than the memories are destroyed. if that person gets put back in their timeline, than the memories are restored. make sense?”

“Well yeah, but… what would happen if you couldn’t pull the glitch out of the timeline?” Error had grown a dark and grim look on his skull, his grin saddened and sinister.

“if that’s the case, then the whole timeline has to be destroyed. now i know what you’re thinking: why can’t we just let the glitches live in their timelines? well that’s a very bad idea. let’s just say that this timeline has a limited amount of data. and this anomaly consumes data by just being there. eventually, the data will be used up, and the system will crash. meaning that error is high in broken timelines. an anomaly from a broken timeline can cause havoc, moving to other timelines and consuming them, one after another until there is nothing but the void itself. get where i’m heading, kit? it means that an anomaly unchecked, could have the power of a god.”

“But I’m an anomaly, right? You said so the first time we spoke. If that’s the case, then why didn’t you kill me the first time? What was the point of letting me go?”

“true, you are from multiple different timelines, but what really stumps me is that you don’t have an original timeline. no matter the universe, there’s always the diverge of you suddenly appearing within the timeline. but what makes you special is that you don’t consume timelines. you fix the broken ones, which is a great advantage, something i can’t do.”

“You can’t fix broken timelines?”

“no. i have to destroy them completely, but whenever you cross into a broken timeline, the whole thing resets back into it’s old days and then it just stops at a certain point. as if you saved and never came back to it. but you don’t remember anything. i guess i might as well tell the truth considering that you’re already helping me by being here. the timeline that you’re in was broken. you just adventuring through it, has brought it back to it’s old form. here’s the problem though. the timeline you’re on is stuck at a stalemate, the timeline resetting and restarting constantly because of the glitch. glitches and anomalies are two different things..”

“And that means..?”

“If you continue to stay in this timeline, the others that you’ve been to will cease to exist in a more sadistic way. anomalies that you’ve ridden yourself of will come back and wreak havoc, most likely killing your multitudes in the meantime. if you still don’t get it, that means that if you’re permanently killed in any of the timelines, nine lives or not, you’d cease to exist. but as of now, you’re jumping from timeline to timeline, and that would cause a major amount of paradoxes throughout the regulation of timelines. it would be a lot easier if you had a beginning timeline, in which i would’ve just sent you back to the very beginning and sealed you within that timeline. but you don’t, in which this makes the problem a hell of a lot harder.”

“Okay. What do I have to do?”

“you have to destroy your own timeline, killing everybody within it.”

“What?!”

“kid. if i’ve done any research on your current timeline, it’s that your parents were smart in saving you.”

“Wha-”

“the surface is inhabitable. all the humans are gone, destroyed by their own creation. they set off an atomic warfare, which in turn, makes the surface practically useless. your parents threw you into the hole to protect you, throwing you down just as the explosion had touched base with the mountain. the barrier that keeps all the monsters trapped, seals the Underground against stuff like that. to put it simply, you have two choices: take down the barrier and watch as the monsters die a painful death by radiation or destroy the timeline, and give them a painless death. your choice.”

“That’s… that’s….-” You wanted to continue, small tears flowing down your cheeks. In any case, what awaited you at any corner was death. There really wasn’t much of a choice in the matter.

“And would I die in this timeline?”

“depends. If you undo the spell on the barrier, you’ll most definitely cause a mass scale of paradoxes, in which the universe could have it’s own reset. if you choose to destroy the timeline, you’ll get to watch as all of your friends from that specific timeline are erased forever. after that, you’d just get sucked into another timeline, and all your memories previous would be utterly destroyed.” You were utterly silent, watching as Error had moved to hold one of the timelines on the panel. It was rapidly blinking red, and the small sounds of cracks could be heard issuing from it. With a grunt, Error had opened a large menu, countless ones and zeros stringed together.

“this is what you’d see before your timeline is destroyed. all the data of your friends and what their home was. the only way you can open this, is if the anomaly and the glitch have been destroyed. but it’s too late for this timeline anyway. besides. they were in a reset anyway.” With a small dab, the numbers had been highlighted in a bright yellow, and they began to fade away, the timeline crumbling into nothing as the blinking stopped.

“if it helps, there’s only six people who know about this plot.”

“Who?”

“your frisk, temmie, chara, asriel, papyrus, and sans. if anything, frisk, temmie, asriel, and I have been planning this ever since you came into this timeline. papyrus and sans both suspect something.”

“Who’s Asriel? And how would Chara know?”

“asriel is the late son of asgore and the queen. he was brought back as a flower. chara knows because they just know. so does frisk, asriel, and temmie. those three have a vast history.”

“And where do I fit in with all this?”

“ah. you see, here’s the weird paradox: in order to save the multitudes of your copies from dying, you have to die permanently in this timeline, and give your SOULS to temmie and asriel.”

“Why would I need to do that?” You’d stopped crying now, the reality of your situation dawning on you.

“temmie and asriel will have a vast amount of power if you offer them your human SOUL. but the kicker is that you’ll have to find a way to combine the two, multiplying that amount by the thousands. i know it’s possible, as i’ve seen you do it some timelines. it’s often done by a strong bout of an emotion. once you’ve done that, temmie and asriel can stall the kid, while i pull you out. the two will save a fragment of your SOUL as to which i can use as a paradox to send you into another timeline. so while you're technically dead in this timeline, you’re alive in the void. thusly, i get to destroy this timeline forever and you get to live in another. make sense?”

“I… I guess it does. When do I have to combine the two?”

“we have to wait until things get bad. real bad. once that’s done, i’ll alert you when it’s time and then stuff will fall into place.”

“What if I can’t do it?”

“kid. even though i don’t have one, i have a gut feeling that everything will work out in the end. trust me.” You could trust Error.

“oh, and by the way, it’s time to go back. you’re gonna need to have a nice long chat with your pals. just... don’t mention this to the skeletons or anybody except for frisk, temmie, and asriel. the others will just meddle. see ya’ later kit.” And with that, the darkness began to swim in your vision, the static filling the silence.


	12. You, Yourself, And Itty Bitty Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet somebody very important and the beginning of a long adventure starts!

It was very dark, wherever you were. You opened your eyes, the only visible thing in sight being the harsh darkness and the sinister feeling that penetrated the atmosphere. You held out your right paw in front of you. Apparently, you could see that but nothing else. Where were you? You took a step forward, something jostling you backwards almost immediately. You quickly turned to look behind you, finding nothing but the empty void. Something was in here, and that something couldn’t be good. You tried to walk again, the going much easier as nothing had touched you this time. You set off in a fast pace, the sound of your paws hitting the floor, strangely audible. Once more, something had grabbed onto the back of your tunic, pulling hard. You squeaked and whipped your head around. Still nothing. This couldn’t be good. You started to run, your paws slapping against the floor. Suddenly, you rammed into something hard and sturdy. Before you knew what it was, a set of something clamped down onto your shoulder. 

“Hmm? This is strange. Very, very strange.” Whatever had grabbed you was speaking, the voice neither feminine or masculine. It wasn’t in between either. The voice was monotone, sounding much like a staticy translator. You could hear the sounds of crackling static, the things on your shoulders releasing their iron grip. You were about to run for it when the thing decided to hold onto your tail instead. Now, there was no way you were escaping. You dared to peek at whatever was holding your tail. 

“You’re me, aren’t you?” The figure appeared to be an older you, much taller and more… relaxed. Your look-alike held a good head in height over you, their frame wider and sleek. Their tattered red and yellow sweater that they wore was frayed and old, the scent of vanilla and citrus wafting off. The black glasses that they wore were askew, barely resting at the eyes. They wore nothing but a sweater and a pair of silver shorts, that and a strange gear hanging from their neck on a necklace. The gear was a solid platinum, a few rubies and pieces of gold threw in. Their gaze was… to say the least, in held a lot of wisdom, and yet the wisdom didn’t look too promising.

“I’m you? Wait. Where am I?” The older you had let go of your shoulder, looking you over once more before backing up a bit. 

“You’re in the in between. It’s much different than the void, and it’s definitely not the anti-void. Though, I’m not sure how you got here. This place is impossible for mortals to come by.”

“Wait. You’re immortal?”

“Nope. I’ve just been through here quite a few times. Not to say that I’m immortal. I still age. Just… I age a lot slower than most folks, now that I’m stuck here.”

“Stuck? How?”

“I really should stop talking. I might cause a paradox of sorts. Oh! Right! Which set of universes are you from?”

“Uh. I don’t know..?” The other you, eh, let’s just call her Gear, looked highly dubious and if it was even possible, came to have a look of pity. 

“Can you define the people within your timeline? The characteristics and such?” The characteristics? Oh. You knew where this was going.

“I know some people! We have Asgore-”

“That’ll do. Give me his characteristics. That’ll determine which universe set you’re from, as it seems that you’re from one of the E026BI universes. That narrows it down.”

“We’ll, he wears a giant black tunic, lives in the Ruins, and raises Frisk and Temmie.”

“Hmm. That sounds like the Underswap Set.”

“Pardon?”

“Every universe has an original. Or has, depending if an anomaly or glitch has destroyed it. Your universe, Underswap as it’s known in the data files, is an Alternate Universe version of the Undertale universe. It’s a specially designed copy. Undertale is the original universe. There’s many others but you’re in one of the many sets.”

“Is there any more of me out there in the universes? And more importantly, how do know all this stuff?”

“Well, to answer question one, we’re both the same person. We’re just glitching back on one of our multiple timelines. If you’re from the Underswap universe, that means that I have ten years over you. So i’ve been looking over ten years worth of timeline regulation. However, we’re a paradox in itself, meaning that we exist in almost every universe. Universes like Outertale, Underfell, Undertale, Underswap, Horrortale, and so on. But it’s not common to come upon a younger or older self within the in between. To answer your second question, i’ve been in the in between for a very long time. When I was in your place, about seven hundred years ago in mortal time, i’d come across my now friend. His name is Sans, one of the many that exist within the E026BI universes. We end up meeting a lot of copies of our friends. You just won’t remember them until you get to where I was.”

“So you’ve met Error too?”

“Hmm? It seems as though you’re caught up with what I was going to tell you. You do know what he’s planning, don’t you?”

“Yeah. I have to destroy my timeline, right?”

“Yes. Then he’s told you. Listen to me. I won’t tell you anything else rather than to listen to what Error says. He’s watched over many of us in other timelines. He’ll get you to where I am. Well, not exactly. Error Sans is a smart guy, hell, all of his clones are, but he’s smarter than the rest of the bunch. He found a way to fix his machine in his old timeline, taking him here to regulate the flow of time for every timeline in the E026BI universe.”

“But I thought you said that there’s more universes than E026BI?”

“There is. I have to watch over the ones in which the people in E026BI don’t exist. Monsters don’t exist in many universes, and it just so happens, that we exist in those ones too. Which makes a lot more work for me.” Gear had put a paw to her forehead, rubbing wearily at her temples.

“Oh. In that case, where are you heading to, other me?”

“None of your beeswax, young grasshopper. Now you go back to your own timeline. If I see you again, i’ll make sure to take you with me and show you a universe or two before you wake up.”

“Wait! One more question!”

“Sure!”

“Why is it that when I told you which universe i was from, you relaxed?”

“Oh. That.” Gear had grew an intensely uncomfortable look on her face, grimacing with something indescribable.

“Well, to tell the truth, we’re not all that great. You know what we say! Even the nicest people are assbags. Everybody has misdemeanor, weather they know it or not. Yes, we’re still the same in every universe, but each come with their own flaws from their individual timelines. One of us from the Underfell universe would be a lot more grumpier and much more strict than somebody from the Outertale universe, who’d be spacey and clueless. What I’m trying to say is that there’s a reason that the Underswap Universe is special. It marks the beginning of your travels through different timelines, except they’re the ones that you can remember, and not the ones where you forget everything. If one of my clones is from a different timeline than Underswap, than I have to send them back without of word of wisdom. It’ll create a paradox in itself if they don't know their future meaning. But you. You’re almost to the beginning of something new. I can tell you that, because when I was in your place, another one of my older clones came to me and told me all this stuff. But I shouldn’t keep you so long, Remember: do what Error tells you to do and don’t tell anybody anything. You can only tell Frisk, Temmie, and Asriel. Trust nobody beyond that. And especially don’t tell the skeleton brothers. If you do, you’ll fuck everything up. I know, as I’ve seen one of our clones do it. Let’s just say that it’s not fun having the pieces of you scattered across space and time. That’s really all there is to it! Now wake up! You have work to do!” And with that, Gear had left, walking behind you only to disappear when you turned around. Suddenly, the crackle of static that was with Gear had gotten stronger in her absence, filling the void of your head with pain. You started awake, clutching your temples in temporary pain. Oh man. The next time you saw Error, you’d tell him not to do that. Well, considering IF he even meant to send you there. You opened your eyes, looking around the bright room. 

“What’s wrong? Have a bad dream?” You peered upwards, catching the dark ruby irises of Chara. That’s right. She was sleeping over.

“Nah. Ugh, how long have I been sleeping?”

“About two hours. I told you not to sleep on the floor, sis.” It was Frisk this time, who’d began to playfully glare at you from the foot of their bed. Temmie was curled up in your lap, peering up at you with the same expression as Frisk. Chara just had this weird grin on their face.

“Sure didn’t feel like it. What time is it?”

“It’s around eleven in the morning. Asgore says that he wants to see you in the kitchen.”

“Oh?” From your side, Frisk had a very uneasy look at Chara’s comment. Temmie had that of the same. You stood from your spot, stretching to ease the tension in your body. Sleeping on the floor was never fun. You padded out into the hallway, drawing your attention away from the quiet drabbles of Frisk and Temmie. Indeed it was almost the afternoon. Your sense of when was what was very wonky so you just accepted that your conscious thought that it was the late morning. The light from the Ruins was filtering through the windows, particles of standby dust floating in it’s breeze. You felt strangely dizzy and out of place, having to put your paws on the walls to steady yourself a couple of times. As you approached the dining room, you tripped and fell face first into the hardwood floor. Man, you were dizzy! It was probably for standing up too fast.  
From the kitchen, you heard the water spicket suddenly turn off. A pair of heavy footfalls had ran up to you, both reaching for your paws. It was just Asgore. He helped you up and patted the dust off of you, walking you into the kitchen before moving a screen to block out sound from the outside.

“I heard you wanted to see me.”

“That’s right. I know it is wrong to ask this of you but I have my hands full with Frisk and Chara. I must ask that you deliver this to the queen.” 

“The… queen..?” Asgore had moved from his spot in front of you to reach into a cupboard high above the fridge. He removed a parcel, the box standard but a glittery golden stamp drawing most of your attention. He carefully handed it to you, you gently taking it in your paws.

“I’ve asked Chara if some of her friends would accept to watch over you as you go. The castle is not close by any standards, but I have to watch over the children. I know that you can make the journey, as you’ve proven your strength. Please take your cell phone, as I will be calling every hour or so to check up on you. I know this is sudden and if you don’t want to do it, then I accept.” You looked over at the parcel, noticing the words “fragile” stamped all over the box.

“Don’t worry, goat dad. I accept. I’ll take this package to the castle. Though I do need to know where to go.” 

“Oh yes. Here.” Asgore had pulled out a piece of old paper from his tunic pockets, unfolding it to reveal an entire map of the Underground. 

“It’s a map of the entire Underground, It may be out of date, but the path to the castle has never changed. I’ve taken your messenger bag, as this is a secret to the children. It should carry the map and the parcel snugly.” Asgore had handed you your yellow messenger bag, taking the package from your paws and the map from his, and neatly stowing the two away inside.

“Why?”

“Because.. um... reasons! Yes, reasons! I only ask that you stay safe on your journey. It shouldn’t take more than a month. But please, if you have time, call. Even if I don’t pick up, it’ll reassure me that the dangers of the Underground haven’t thwarted you yet. Take care, and make sure to keep this a secret.” Asgore had moved the screen back into the kitchen, giving the space between your ears a ruffle, before heading into the parlor. Okay, so you got to take a super sweet adventure across the Underground, but go all mission impossible across it. OKAY!   
You’d gingerly crept out through the dining room, making your way down the stairs as quickly and as quietly as possible. Asgore had left your phone on the parlor bookcase for you to grab. You treaded through the corridors, pushing and closing the double sets of double doors behind you. You’d gotten qute adjusted to pushing them open, so the task wasn’t as taxing as it was when you’d first got here. How long ago had that been? You couldn’t remember. The icy weather of Snowdin kept you company as you treaded through the snow, taking the time to gaze at the scene around you. To gaze at the little things that you never noticed. The tiny blue buds that peeked out beyond the foliage of the tree, the tiny pebbles that hid underneath the camouflage of the snow, the crystals in the ceiling of the cavern. When you took the time to see with your eyes, you were surprised at just how beautiful the cavern of Snowdin was. The only sound that played was the sound of the snow crunching underneath your paws and the gentle breeze of the late morning snowfall. You preferred this snow much more than the early morning and the night snow. 

“Hey kid. What’re you doin’ out here?” You jumped, ready to run but your left foot had slid out from under you, sending you face first into the snow. Your messenger bag had dropped into the snow with a silent thud. How many times were you gonna fall today? You heard a low chuckle issue from the base of the trees at your right, a pair of hands pulling you up from the waist. Papyrus grinned at you, still slightly smirking at your mishap.

“Papyrus. If you’re gonna keep scaring me like that then I’m just not gonna come out here anymore.” He then proceeded to give you a dubious look. You gave a heavy sigh, reaching to your left to find your bag.

“Okay, that’s a lie. I’d still come out here. I’d just ignore you.”

“Aw, come on. Don’t be like that.”

“I will be like that! Speaking of which, why are you out here anyway?”

“I’m a sentry along with Sans. It’s my job to search for humans, but I don’t really care for that.”

“That explains the two human children living in the Underground. Well, I certainly didn’t see any humans on my way here so the coast is clear.”

“It’s also a good thing that I found you.”

“Oh? Do explain.”

“Reason one-” Papyrus drew out both of his hands from his hoodie, only to draw out handfuls of glitter. Fuck. You turned the fuck around and ran, Papyrus catching you and throwing that shit ALL over you. This was your good tunic, too. 

“Nooo! You’ve infected me with your craft herpes! Such is a sad fate for one so innocent and naive.” You faked falling into the snow, Papyrus coming over to sneer at your act.

“What are herpes?” You could barely contain your laughter as you stood back up, clutching at your messenger bag.

“It’s a human disease that monsters can’t get. At least, I think they can’t get. Go on. You surely didn’t seek me out just to throw glitter at me.”

“Alright. Reason number two, is that I heard something about you taking a journey to the castle.”

“That’s about right.”

“Good. Sans and I will check up on you every once in awhile. By the way, if you did come across a human, what would you do?” Papyrus looked strangely suspicious. Meh.

“If I ran across a lone human, I would… well, i’m not really sure. I could trap them somewhere, or I could just fight em’. Wouldn’t really matter.”

“And just how would you go about trapping a human?”

“With a bear trap or something of the likes. Ya' know: rope, springtraps, puzzles, satanic rituals-”

“Wait. What was that last one?”

“Puzzles. It was puzzles.” Papyrus just kind of shrugged it off, the two of you waking in the direction of Snowdin Town. 

“By the way, what’s in the box?”

“Nothing of particular interest.”

“Can I see?”

“Never. This package shall make its way safely to the client, opened and ready to read! I would never dishonor the oath that I had to make to deliver this mighty fine parcel.”

“You had to take an oath for that thing?”

“Nah. I’m just ribbing ya’.” You looked to your left to see Papyrus give you a sideways glare. You thought he liked puns… Guess not…

“Alright. Who’s the client?”

“The oath man. The oath.”

“Judging that the thing came from the Ruins, and that Chara, Frisk, and Temmie don’t know the postal system around here, it’s most definitely Asgore, right?” Damn. 

“Yeah.”

“And this package is going all the way to the capital..?”

“How do you know?”

“Because the message that I got told me how far you’d be going, so that means that the package is going to… the queen.” For some unknown reason, Papyrus had grew the silliest grin on his face, and whipped out his phone. He began to rapidly dial something to someone and you looked away, not wanting to snoop. To be honest, you were quite excited to meet the queen. She sounded snooty in the way that Asgore had always described her, but perhaps she was nice?

“I gotta go off for a bit, kid. Don’t wait up.” Papyrus had walked away into the cover of the trees, leaving you to walk alone on the cold path that led to Snowdin Town. As you kept walking, you swore you could hear the faint sound of static issuing from the woods. You stopped a couple of times to check behind you, starting when you heard a lone voice issue from inside your head.

‘hey kid. can you hear me? it’s error.’

“I can hear you.”

‘woah kid. speak to me using your head. don’t speak aloud, or people will think you’re a weirdo.’

‘Oh. Okay. But I'm already a weirdo. Anyway, is something wrong?’

‘nah. i’ve managed to get access to speaking to you from your mind so you’ll hear me more than often. anyway, this is the start of that same journey that i talked to you about in that dream. just a friendly reminder that the farther you go, the harder it will be. i’m not gonna tell you why. all you need to know is that the trip to the queen will be very, very hard. also, i’ll be back when you get to waterfall, as there’s a place you should go before you get to hotland. got it?’

‘Got it!”

‘alright. see ya later kid. i’ve got timelines to regulate. also, your clone is annoying. bye.’ With that, the voice of Error had ceased to exist, leaving you to walk onwards to Snowdin Town. You still had to navigate the slopes of Snowdin, as you’d just passed a beaten down sentry station. If there was the need of sentries than you’d come along traps for sure. You just hoped that they weren't puzzles.


	13. Steamy Stories And Glittery Spaghetti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Onwards with the adventure!

The pretty white snowflakes danced in the gentle breeze, your form getting colder and colder as you continued to walk through the fresh snow. While technically you could just use your heat magic to warm up, you didn’t see a need to as you had nobody travelling with you at the moment. You had secretly snuck a couple books from Asgore’s bookshelf to keep the boredom away. These were worn and the bindings were very loose. However, these little beauties were hidden behind the other ones, signalling that they weren't meant to be seen by your eyes. You knew that Asgore wouldn’t notice that they were missing, as the only book he ever read was that weird snail book. That guy needed more variety. You reached into your yellow messenger bag, pulling out a thick tome of a book. It looked to have over two thousand pages. Curious. It had no cover, as the only words on the front read “The Stargazers”. It sounded like it would be hysterically boring, but on the bright side, really, you had nothing better to do. Besides, you could just multitask on the way. You cracked open the dusty cover, peering inside the old book.

It had been a good hour since you began reading, marking your place with a tiny piece of paper that had been left inside your bag. You’d never realized how spicy Asgore's reading material was. Seriously. This book was very deceiving with it’s seemingly innocent and boring title. Little did you know before reading, that this book was filled to the brim with all kinds of scandalous things. Things like angst, a shit ton of fluff, lots of romance, (you had a lot of ships so far) and there was that one chapter with some serious bondage, in the sexual kind of way. Oh my, you were really enjoying this book. It was frustrating when you had to wipe the fallen snow off of the pages but you weren’t even near being half way through. So far, it was about this orphaned kid named Magnus, who’s really, well, ugly. He crosses over to this world in his dreams and when he does, he’s given this bracelet that plays a mini game of hot and cold to lead him to his soulmate, who will sadly wake him up from the dream. Apparently, people in this world thinks he’s really, really hot, so everybody’s trying to get in his pants, but he’s not about that life, as much as he wants to be about that kind of stuff. But here’s the kicker: instead of a cliche female soulmate, his supposed soulmate, Rouile, is a much older kid who identifies as neither genders AND is asexual which makes it even better. The story keeps switching povs constantly, and in this giant love triangle arc between the three main characters, it’s apparent that everybody’s trying to get in this kid’s pants too. The love triangle features Magnus's rival, Gregor, who is gay for Magnus, but Magnus loves Rouile, and Rouile wants to get in Gregor's pants. Gregor denies being gay but it's totally obvious. He's not a stranger to girls though. Rouile is a girl but doesn't like to be classified as such. But these kids are young children, which makes the futile attraction of the many adults in this story and the love triangle between these monster kids, pretty sinister. So far, you’ve come across a couple sex scenes, and they were really descriptive. Whoever had written this knew how to write a juicy story.  
The snow had stopped a while ago, leaving you to deal with the breeze that occasionally tried to swipe away the pages. As you walked, you heard something loud clomping through the snow. Whatever it was, was heading in your direction. You turned to look, squeaking as something heavy crashed into your back. You and the person tumbled into the snow, yourself scrambling to find purchase in the clumping snow. 

“oops. didn’t mean to crash into you, kit. you okay?” Ah. It was just Sans.

“Yep! No broken bones here!” You could hear Sans swallow harshly from the side. You went to collect your book, no ripped pages or anything. Much to your dismay, you’d lost your place in the story. With a shrug, you placed the book back into your messenger bag, which was laying forlorn in the snow.

“uh, what’s with the book?”

“Hmm? Oh! It’s something to do while I adventure throughout the Underground.” Sans looked mildly dubious, excited about something else all the while.

“what’s the title?” Should you tell him the title? Papyrus would be pissed if he found out what you were introducing to his brother. Meh. The rebellion lives.

“It’s called “The Stargazers”.” At that, Sans began to chuckle lightly, before breaking out into a full blown cackle.

“oh god. i didn’t know you were into that kind of stuff, kit.” Oh shit. He’s read the book.

“Nah. I just happened to borrow it from Asgore’s bookcase. It IS pretty juicy though.”

“from asgore’s bookcase?”

“Yep!.”

“have you gotten to the bondage scene between rouile and gregor?”

“Yep. That part was very descriptive. You’ve read this book before?”

“oh man. i read that book years ago. it’s stayed with me ever since. either way, that’s not what i’m here for.”

“Oh? Then what are you here for?”

“papyrus mentioned that you were taking a trip to the castle. just to ensure your safety, i’ve decided to come along with you and protect you from any ruthless monsters!” Sometimes Sans could be adorable, but sometimes he was just downright mysterious. 

“I guess that’s okay. I wouldn’t mind company on this long trip.”

“yes! but before you get to waterfall, paps wants you to come to our house. for a pit stop, he said. who knows! if you stay long enough, i can make you more of my tacos!”

“Alright! Let’s go!”

“hey lion.”

“Yes?”

“take my hand~” You knew why he’d said it in such a smarmy voice. That was a quote from the book, when Rouile almost falls off the ship but Magnus’s arch rival, Gregor, takes her hand instead. And then they go off and do all that scandalous stuff on the boat. You made a note to reread that chapter later on.

“Oh Gregor! Save me from such a watery peril!”

“okay, but then what about all that steamy boat sex later? you still in on that?”

“SANS!” Sans had taken both of your hands in his, using his weird teleporting magic to teleport the two of you to his house. It was very snowy in Snowdin and the icicles hanging from the roof were a dead giveaway of that. All the while, Sans was howling with laughter, having to grip onto your sweater just to hold himself up.

“oh man. i gotta reread that scene over again.”

“I swear to the lord, if you use any innuendo on our adventure, i’m ditching you.”

“oh? but my sweet scarlet jewel, we’ve got plenty of time to… fool around.” Another quote from the book. Wow.

“That’s it. I’m going in.”

“that’s what he said.” You facepalmed, noting that the joke qualified and that Gregor did say “i’m going in” in said steamy chapter. You could only shoot a tiny glare at Sans who was flipping his shit at his tiny joke/pun. You went to open the door, the warmth of the familiar house flooding around you. How were you that cold? You didn’t even notice until you stepped in. Sans had closed the door behind you, moving around you to head into the kitchen. You made yourself at home on the lumpy sofa, getting the scent of stale spaghetti and fresh tacos all up in your nostrils. Sans had come from the kitchen, bearing many bags of chips and two cups of water. 

“i see you’ve made yourself at home.”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do? Anyway, what’s with this whole arrangement?”

“well, it IS a pit stop. paps won’t be home for a good couple of hours. he’s out most of the time around the late afternoon. anyway, break out that book.” You brought out the mighty tome from your messenger bag, setting it between you two as you scrambled to find your last point in the book.

“no. go to the steamy boat chapter.”

“Perv.”

“it’s a good chapter! don’t say that you didn’t enjoy it as well!” You looked guiltily away, as you’ve already read the same chapter five times. It was a well written chapter. That and the fact that you were a slut for fluff. You agreed and looked through the book, hastily coming across the forbidden chapter. Before you started, you and Sans both shared a knowing glance before tearing into that chapter, sharing snide comments and loose giggles at the steamy bits. Eventually, the two of you had stopped rereading the chapter, yourself continuing onto where you’d left off. Sans had went up to his room, only to bring out the same book. 

“You had a copy this entire time?”

“it’s a good book.” The two of you had began to read at different paces, Sans starting from the very beginning while you started from where you’d left off,the place before before Sans had crashed into you out in the woods. It was nice and quiet, the perfect atmosphere for trying to read. Yes, trying. Every once and awhile, Sans would bring you back something to drink, or make tiny comments and jokes. You always paid attention, but once the silence set in, the two of you went to your own books.

“What are you two doing?”

“reading.” Papyrus had walked through the front door, idly gazing at your books. You’d dodge his questions about the book if it was the last thing you’d do.

“Really? What’s the title?”

“I’m reading “Nonamer’s Negative Nihilistic Book Of Medium Magnum Mediocre Magicians”. Sans is reading “The History Of Famous Royal Guards”.” That was bullshit, and you knew it. But from the look of Sans’s relief, you knew that you did the right thing. Papyrus wasn’t buying it though.

“Oh really? What’s it about, Lion?”

“Well, it’s about this guy named Nonamer who tries to decipher lousy magic tricks and how they’re done, all the while giving negative feedback on the results. So far, it’s pretty good. The card trick was the worst one though. I’m sure that the guy who lost his eye wasn’t too happy, though.” Sans had looked nervous, trying to think of something to say before Papyrus came to his book.

“What about yours Sans?” 

“o-oh, umm, mine? w-well, it’s about s-some of the m-most famous royal guardsmen and their b-background.” Papyrus looked skeptical for a minute before shrugging and heading into the kitchen.

“thanks for the save.”

“Don’t mention it. You wouldn’t want Papyrus getting on our cases.” From the kitchen, you heard a loud crash, the sound of a couple pots clattering against the floor.

“Is everything alright in there?” Papyrus had poked his head out from the kitchen.

“It’s fine. Just trying to set things up.” With that, Papyrus had went back into the kitchen, the loud clatters resuming. You looked to Sans for answers, and from the grim look on his face, you could only guess that it wasn’t good.

“sounds as though paps is making his infamous spaghetti, tonight. ugh.”

“Infamous? Is that bad?”

“very. i should’ve just taken you to muffet’s. i hope you have strong taste buds kit, or you’re gonna have a really bad time.” You gulped at that one, the both of you nervously starting your books again. It was awhile before you actually saw what Papyrus was doing in the kitchen. Sans had interrupted your reading to show you. And oh dear god. That explains the grim look from earlier. From what you could see and smell, Papyrus had added a whole bag of sugar to the concoction, throwing in glitter and other inedible things before continuing cooking.

“Is it too late to go to Muffet’s?” The two of you began to speak in hushed whispers, going unnoticed by Papyrus in the kitchen.

“most definitely. i’m so sorry for this.”

“I can handle it. I’ll handle this like a boss.” As you said those that last sentence, Papyrus had finished up in the kitchen, bringing out three plates of the horrendous spaghetti. Sans had led you to the table, the two of you sitting across from each other. 

“Here you go, you two. Bone- appetit.” Papyrus had did that on purpose, earning a small snort from you and a low glare from Sans. Papyrus had sat on your left, facing the door. Well, what with that expectant and hopeful look from Papyrus, you had to go first. You took up your fork, hearing a nervous grunt from Sans and a hopeful whisper from Papyrus. You twirled a bit of the glittery concoction on your fork, noticing the heavy blanket of sugar. With a smidge of hesitation, you put the fork in your mouth, taking a second to analyze the taste of the spaghetti. The glitter was killing you from the inside, but to be honest, you couldn’t taste the sugar. Just goes to show that cats can’t taste anything sweet. You swallowed the spaghetti, the glitter scraping against the back of your throat. Without the glitter, you could clearly define the left over bits. Some of the noodles were undercooked, and crunched when you bit down on them while others were overcooked, and fell apart in your mouth. It was pretty bad but you could stomach it. The glitter would come back to bite you later.

“Well. How is it?” Papyrus had gave you a hopeful look, Sans on the brink of trying to push your plate off of the table, as to save you from this saucy peril.

“It’s pretty good actually.”

“Oh? I could’ve sworn that I added a little more sugar than was needed.” Sans had secretly shot you a sarcastic glance across the table at that. You didn’t think you were supposed to add sugar to spaghetti but whatever made him happy was fine, too.

“Meh. I can’t taste anything sweet Papyrus. I only tasted the noodles and the glitter.”

“wait. you can’t taste anything sweet?”

“Yeah. It’s not so bad. You get over it after you’ve had a couple of sour cakes.”

“So you can’t taste anything remotely sweet at all?”

“Your idea of sweet is my idea of real meat. It doesn’t really bother me though.”

“so what did the sugar taste like?”

“It didn’t have a taste. It was just sort of… there. Anywho, your spaghetti was fine Papyrus! No need to worry!” You’d quietly eaten the heaving heap of spaghetti on your plate, much to Sans's surprise.

“You can leave it on the table. I’ll take care of it later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. You two can go back to your books. I have Napstabot to watch.” You looked to Sans, the question as to who was Napstabot was. telekinetically shared between you two. Papyrus had taken all of the plates into the kitchen to wash.

“he’s the biggest television star here in the underground. but he’s a pompous prick.” Sans had whispered that last part. Oh. That explained it. You glanced as Papyrus went upstairs, closing his bedroom door behind him. You went to check the time outside, startled at just how dark it was outside.

“no need to worry. you’ll be staying here for tonight, and then we set off tomorrow morning. sound good?” You nodded, heading back to the couch and starting on your book again. Sans had taken his own under his arm, heading up the stairs to his room.

“oh. before i forget, before you head to bed, you should probably check this table over here. paps laid out some stuff for you, so make sure to check this before you go to sleep. i’m about to do so. goodnight.” 

“Goodnight Sans.” As soon as you’d heard Sans’s door close, you took out your cellphone, dialing up Asgore as he’d told you to. The phone rang for a while before heading to voicemail. You left a message.

“Hey Asgore! It’s me, Lion. I’m okay as of now and I have somebody who will be accompanying me on my journey. I’m in Snowdin as of now, at a friend’s house, so there’s no need to worry. I’ll start on Waterfall tomorrow. See you soon, bye.” With that, you hung up, placing the brick phone back into your messenger bag. You gave a stifled yawn, starting on your book once more. The chapter that you were at featured more Rouile and Gregor. Magnus knew nothing about this secret affair, into which Rouile had planned to keep him in the dark. This was the reason why you’d never date anybody. There was just no trust between people sometimes. You’d preferred to keep to yourself for a long while. After all, your standards were ridiculously high. 

You’d been reading for two hours straight, putting down your place marker and closing the hefty tome. You gave a quiet yawn, placing the book into your yellow messenger bag along with the other items. You checked on the parcel inside, tucking it safely in a pocket away from the massive tomes, and put the bag beside the table at the other end of the room. It was fragile after all, and you didn’t want to break whatever was inside. You opted for heading to sleep, but remembering what Sans had told you earlier. You silently padded up the stairs, glancing to your right to spy a small wooden table with some items on it. A note card sat on top, a messy scrawl hastily written down. You read the note.

“Lion. On this table lay a change of clothes and some blankets. The blankets are for sleeping, as you should already know. The clothes are too. Yes, they are clean. Put your dirty clothes in the basket underneath the table. Let me know when you and Sans are heading out. Your clothes will be done by the morning. ~Papyrus P.S. The bathroom is above the kitchen.” You looked to your right, and low and behold, you spotted a wooden door with the note “bathroom” taped to it. Nicely done, Papyrus. You took the spare change of clothes, silently heading into the bathroom to change. It was nice of him to consider that. You’d changed into the clothes that Papyrus had left you, the things being an overly large cyan blue t-shirt that went down to your knees, and a pair of loose black basketball shorts, which were partially hidden by the huge shirt. You rolled up your dirty clothes, placing them in the basket under the table, like Papyrus had instructed. You took the blanket from the table. It was a huge quilt, with many fluffy layers packed inside. You silently went down the stairs, turning off the table lamps and plunging yourself into mid-darkness. The only light was the stove light, which dimly filtered in from the kitchen. With a sigh, you fell onto the couch, the blanket obscuring your entire figure. You could get used to this. You fell asleep seamlessly, the darkness beginning to swim in your vision.


	14. A Previous Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief chapter of filler for a better explanation on the protagonist's role in the multiverse.

You could feel the familiar static setting in, a certain wave of nostalgia rolling within the inky depths. You opened your eyes to find yourself in a dark house. It was broken down, the furniture broken apart and burned to ashes on the floor. There were giant holes in the roof, slightly frozen over, and you could see heaps of standby dust filtering in through them from where you sat. As you looked around, you spotted a massive pile of letters by what looked to be the front door. It was pitch black outside, judging from the broken windows. There was a heavy coat of standby dust on every surface, some even getting on your clothes. Where were you?   
You got up off the carpeted floor, dusting yourself off, and cloaking yourself in flames. The empty room glowed with the orangeish tint of the embers, burning cool and wavering just slightly. There was the faint sound of static, mixed with what seemed to be the quiet snowfall outside. Were you in Snowdin? You began to quietly walk around the house, spotting an archway to the north, a hallway to your right along with some wooden stairs, and the front door to your left. All of your senses were telling you to leave the house, but a few smidgen were telling you to inspect it. You decided to leave, heading towards the front door. You clumsily pushed aside the heap of letters, noticing that majority of the letters had the name “Undyne” displayed in bold red ink. Who was Undyne? Was she the owner of this house? No. Apparently, the letters were addressed to... you? You decided to ignore the many questions that ran through your head, yanking open the old mahogany door with a creak. The door had suddenly fell off of it’s hinges, collapsing just behind you with a loud clatter. You would have to move it in order to get back in.   
You nervously swallowed. It was pitch black outside, the treeline was in sight but very far away. Your fear had instinctively kicked in, as you were terribly frightened of the creatures that could be hiding in the shadows. Wait. This was a dream, right? There was no way that this was real, right? You shut your eyes, desperately trying to wake yourself up, but to no avail. From the far depths of the dark forest, you hear a loud wail of pain, the voice high pitched and coming out as a squeak. You tried to go back to the house before, only to find that it had vanished, the empty lot signaling that something was very, very wrong. You had no choice but to continue. If you stayed here, you were like a sitting duck. You hesitantly put one paw in front of the other, beginning a slow trot towards the forest. You suddenly stopped your fear getting the best of you. Would it be better to avoid the dark forest and be out in the open, or would it be better to traverse the forest and risk getting trapped or captured. Your mind couldn’t handle the possibilities, opting to travel the dark forest instead.  
You were heavily trembling, your tail tightly wrapped around your small frame. You were breathing very fast, unable to process just where you were or why. From your lingering place at the treeline, you could feel hundreds of eyes on you, watching your every step. You knew you were crying, the tears rapidly falling down your cheeks and staining your shirt. You weren’t gonna die here, no. It was just a nightmare. You’d wake up, and everything would be fine. You hesitantly sat at the treeline, eager to end the dream but afraid to go further. You had to grow up sometime. You stepped into the forest, your paw catching on a tendril of brambles. You tripped, landing face-first into the snow. You were sure that in any moment, something from the forest would come out. That you’d never be heard from ever again. You kept telling yourself that it was just a dream. That it wasn’t real. Nothing truly was. But nobody came. You scrambled to your paws, nervously checking your surroundings. It was empty apart, from a faint sound of more wails echoing from the dark depths of the forest. They were starting to sound inhuman. You could feel your heart racing, beating quickly in your chest. Taking a handful of deep breaths, you continued on, the loud crunch of snow under your paws, eerie and unnecessary. The pine trees had seemed to loom above you, and with that, everything grew more and more detailed. You began to see spots of blood and other fluids in the snow, footprints imprinted in their icy depths, leading towards open space. You tried to avoid them only to get lost going in circles. There were other things too. Most of the trees were missing chunks of bark, vicious claw marks raked across their surfaces. The wailings had gotten much louder, a metal screech penetrating the cover of the trees. You were trembling even harder than before. The tears had stopped flowing, your eyes red and tear marks trailing down your cheeks and down your chin.   
You had gotten to the edge of the treeline. The wailing had suddenly stopped. You dared to take a look around, the blood in your vessels chilling as you spotted what could only make you lose your lunch. It was a body, hanging from a huge pine tree. And from what the figure looked like, it was Sans, but not in his battle body. In different wear. His body hung lifeless, a feet or two off the tree. HIs torso was cut open, blood spilling from the jacket that he wore. HIs sockets were devoid of any life, and his skull was viciously cracked, frozen over with ice. Pieces of his shattered SOUL lay dead in the snow beneath him, slowly being covered up by the falling snow. You quickly turned away, coming face to face with more bodies in the snow: the decapitated form of Papyrus, his skull destroyed, the pieces scattered here and there throughout the snow, a fish monster, impaled with thousands of metal spears, another hanging body of a lizard monster who’d probably asphyxiated, the form of a decapitated goat monster who was held tightly in the embrace of… Asgore? He was bleeding from almost everywhere, a strange goop pooling from beneath his purple cape. A little ways away lay the form of two human children, holding hands in an embrace of death, both impaled through the chest with one abnormally huge bone. Frisk and Chara. They both wore a sinister smile on their pale faces. Many other monsters were around too, the corpses scattered around the vast clearing. The smell of rotting flesh and dust was high and only then did it become apparent that it was not snow that was falling constantly. It was monster dust. There was blood everywhere amongst the clearing, yourself paralyzed with the fear that quickly coursed through your body.  
You backed up, bumping into something hard and sturdy…

“Hey kid. What are you doing here?” You let out a loud yelp, trying to run but finding that the person behind you had latched onto your tail and had spun you around. You braced yourself for death, finding none but feeling a warm embrace surround you, the smell of vanilla and citrus wafting through the stale air. You felt the ground rumble underneath your paws, the person holding you tighter in an embrace. You could only begin to feel dizzy as the ground had stopped shaking, the figure still here, holding you as you trembled in their arms.

“No need to worry, kid. It’s me. Well, it’s us. But, you know, it’s older you.” You looked up, catching the worried amber gaze of Gear. She still wore the same attire, but the nonchalant facade that she normally wore was gone. She held you tightly, slowly rubbing the space between your ears.

“It’s alright. Once again, I don’t know how you keep getting here. I mean, I went to that place too when I was in your spot, but I still have no idea as to how you keep fading in and out from the physical plane. You gotta stop doing that, kid.”

“W-what w-was that p-place?”

“An old timeline set for destruction. A glitch had wiped the data and had mixed up a few important variables. Thus, the timeline has to be destroyed, soon. That’s the timeline with the glitch that i’m currently looking for. You didn’t see anything strange in there, did you? Other than those horrendous corpses, I mean.” You slowly shook your head no, trying to take a step back but Gear only embracing you harder.

“S-stop it!”

“You know, I get that we were independent as a kid, but our game was way too strong. Seriously, I know that what you saw in there will most likely haunt you for the rest of your life, and that you don't like to pitied by anybody, but technically i'm the only family member around, so at least accept my, well, OUR hug. You’re really gonna need it for later, kid.” Gear continued to hug you, yourself falling prey to your own hug of pity. Heck, it was a warm hug of pity.

“W-will that h-happen a-alot when i-i go to sleep?”

“No. Thankfully, that’s the only timeline you’ll be seeing for a good long while. I’m gonna start keeping a thorough eye on you, kid. You can’t just cross the physical plane like that! It’s incredibly dangerous! Not to mention that you get to see some real shit, too... But that’s besides the point! Can you remember how you came to be there?”

“A-all I remember i-is that I went t-to sleep a-and I woke up i-in that dark house.”

“Well then. I hope that Error won't mind if I keep tabs on his apprentice. You’re gonna need the timeline experience soon. But not that kind of experience.”

“W-will there be more timelines like that?” Your stutter was starting to disappear, as you strangely felt secure in your own presence.

“As you become a timeline regulator, yes. You will run into timelines where gruesome stuff happens on a regular basis. Error and I destroy those kinds of timelines constantly, but they’re cautioned off to every clone who happens to stumble upon them. But that won’t be for a really long time.” Gear had called off the hug, holding you at arm’s length, a still worrisome look on her face, but a small smidge of pride gleaming in her amber eyes.

“But you’ve been here for much too long. I should probably send you back to the physical plane, now.”

“Wait! I have a question!”

“ONE question. Shoot away, kid.” The question that you wanted to ask had been fresh in your mind ever since you’d fell down here. One that you wanted to uncover so badly, that you just had to ask your clone.

“What happened before I fell into my timeline? And why can’t I remember anything?”

“That’s two questions kid, so i’ll just answer the first one this time, and leave the second one for the next time we meet. IF we meet. To answer your first question, it’s an answer that you really shouldn’t dwell on. We were originally one of the only monster families living on the surface, the connection with those under the mountain completely cut off. However, the humans had exterminated everybody else but our own. Our parents cared a lot for us and they chose to save us when disaster struck. The humans were all at war with one another, constantly arguing over whose territory was belonged to who and why. Humans are so selfish and self-centered, thinking they’re superior to everything in the galaxy. That they think that they have to right to “own” everything and to stick their nose into every little nook and cranny for "knowledge". Humans have taken quite some time to evolve. They used to be primitive like the land animals that we used to hunt in the forest when we were small. But they grew into pricks, the whole lot of them. Their main focuses turning from love and compassion, to power, wealth, territory, racism, differences, and reproduction. And not the good kind of reproduction either. Humans are such unstable creatures, unable to handle the simplest of things like mental disorders or the need of separate survival. Unable to process their place in the multiverse but merely abusing their privilege to live and doing everything in their miniscule power to stop the flow of time. They’re afraid of death, not all, but many. Most had a deep root of misdemeanor hidden in their vacant souls. Yes, they HAD. Eventually, they began to clash with each other, creating weapons of mass terror and utter annihilation. Once the humans had deployed those weapons to battle, it was over for any living thing on the surface. The bombs that the humans had dropped fell on every continent and ocean, spreading heavy radiation and death in their wake and wiping out everything in it's path. Our parents had thrown us down the mountain, and they’d sacrificed themselves so that we could warn the monsters of their fate. The barrier protects the entirety of the Underground, sealing us away from the radiation. And everybody on the surface had died a excruciating death. I might as well answer your second one now that I mention it. The reason you forgot was because this is not your first timeline. You’ve been to many others, and this may just come as a surprise but that place that we were just in, with the bodies and stuff, that was an alternate version of a previous timeline that we’ve been to. Not the exact one, but what would’ve happened if we hadn’t been there to save it. Do you see now why it’s crucially important that there’s timeline regulators? To keep the peace of time. I’ve been at it for over seven billion years. Not in mortal time, but in space time. I won’t last forever and neither will Error, but when the time comes, another clone will take our places and the cycle will go on forever. We regulate the timelines to protect the vast innocence from gruesome disasters such as that of the one we just visited. We murder the wrongs in cold blood, to protect those in the multiverse. And despite the fact that the job is unforgiving and gruesome, we have to do it. Or would you rather watch as the multiverse collapses and life as we know it and how other forms would know it would collapse and cease to exist? The point is, we exist for a reason, and we’ll continue to exist until the day time ceases... to exist.” Gear was now heavily sobbing, clutching onto you for support in which you gave her. She was you and you were her. That was quite the fate for a monster child, and the most massive of shoes to fill. And yet, you’d be taking up Gear’s place as a timeline regulator in the very near future. The prospect didn’t sound too promising but you HAD to do it.

“Anyway… it’s about time I sent you back to your physical plane. No more late night outings for you. See ya later... kit.” You could feel the ever heavy tension rising in your SOULS, the hum of static filling the void in your head…


	15. The Scandalous Affair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the nightmare, Sans reminds you that the beginning of your journey awaits!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the chapter title! No, the protagonist will not be getting into any frisky business but rather seeing a glimpse.

“lion! lion, wake up!” You woke, your lungs gasping for the icy cold air. You could feel the cold sweat sliding slowly down your neck, yourself heavily drenched in the stuff. Not that you cared, but rather of what that dream was about. If it could even be called a “dream”. You clutched at the chest of your white shirt, moving to a sitting spot. You felt incredibly dizzy, your fur standing on end. Your tail lashed behind you, twitching madly.

“are you okay?!” You looked to your right, instantly spotting Sans, who was dressed in his battle body. He was sitting next to where you were sleeping, a panicked grimace on his face.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bad dream is all…” 

“yeah... must’ve been SOME bad dream, huh. when i came down here, you were thrashing about, mumbling something about timelines and nachos.” When had you mentioned nachos? You had no idea what nachos were, but they sounded good. Gear had never mentioned nachos. You could understand the timeline part but just where the heck did the nachos part come in? You shook your head to clear your silly thoughts, rubbing the residue from your tired eyes afterwards.

“What are nachos? You know what, nevermind. I don’t want to know.” Sans had shot you a dubious look, followed by an expression of worry.

“It’s fine, Sans. Everybody gets nightmares. Even me, and that’s a clear sign.”

“hmm? why?”

“I rarely ever have nightmares.”

“but you’re scared of something, right?”

“Nooo…?”

“what are you scared of lion?” Sans began to gather a shit-eating grin onto his features, closing the distance between you two ever so slowly.

“If I tell you, you’re just gonna use it against me in some type of prank or pun!”

“what? what kind of skeleton do you take me for?!”

“A skeleton that likes to blackmail other people.”

“that’s a good one. i’ll make sure to use that next time.”

“Um. Next time?”

“hmm? oh, nevermind! it’s time for us to go! but before we head to waterfall, papyrus needs us to pick up something from the snowdin shop before we leave. yes, we’re backtracking again, but it’s important!”

“Okay, okay.”

“by the way, here’s your tunic. papyrus washed it earlier. it’s the earliest i’ve ever seen him up! here.” Sans had pushed a basket over to you, revealing your long violet tunic, along with the silver leggings that you loathed with a fiery passion.

“Thanks.” Sans had let you go up to the bathroom, you shutting the door and turning on the light. You looked like a hot mess. Your hair was matted and puffed out, with a few spikes jutting out here and there. You didn’t have any drool marks, thank god, but every surface of your fur was puffed out like a porcupine. You gave a heavy sigh, thankful that you remembered to take a hair tie from the bathroom at home. You stripped yourself of the white shirt and shorts, pulling on the leggings, before quickly slipping the violet tunic over your head. It had the faint smell of lemons wafting off of it. The tunic still draped across the ground, but you wore it, despite having to shake off the rubble from the bottom. You ran your paws through your hair before bringing it up to wrap in a messy bun. It would have to do for now. Besides. You were much too lazy to bother with looking presentable. Before you left you noticed a small basket on the counter with a small note inside. You read the note.

“Dear Lion, when you change back into your tunic and other wear, please put the other set of clothes into this basket. Thank you. ~Papyrus” You did as the note said, and placed the small bundle of clothes into the small plastic basket. After turning off the light, you made your way down the staircase, checking for your bags.

“why are you squinting?”

“My vision is… not the best. It doesn’t matter though. I can get by just fine.” You’d finally spotted your yellow messenger bag, tucked behind the table, where you had left it last night.

“do you need glasses?”

“Nah.”

“you need glasses! i know! i’ll have dr. undyne take a look!”

“Now, now, I don’t NEED any glasses. It may be hard to see, but i’m fine. Really!” From where you were, over by the far side of the room, Sans looked like a white and blue blob of clashed colors, the colors of the living room mixing in to form an undistinguished picture. 

“Besides, we have to get going. What time is it?”

“about six in the morning. paps already left so after we get the stuff from the store, we’ll drop it off in here and then leave for waterfall. any questions?”

“Nope!”

“then we’re off!” You made your way to the door, Sans flicking off the last light in the house before locking the front door behind the two of you. It was snowing gently, a few snowflakes drifting around you. With a shudder, you remembered your nightmare, the pieces of monster dust coating your clothing. You took a deep breath and shook it of, disturbed by Sans’s sudden tug on your tunic sleeve.

“you know where muffet’s is, right?”

“That cafe across from those two shops, right?”

“that’s the one. here. take this money and get two jugs of spider cider. I’ll get the stuff in the store. meet me back at the christmas tree, alright?” You could only shudder again, as the sight of all those corpses scattered around the christmas tree brought back frightful memories. 

“Okay.” With that, the two of you split up, Sans heading towards the shopkeepers, and yourself headed to the small cafe. There was nobody in sight, and from the looks of it, people were still sleeping. The sign on the front door said open, and after a moment of hesitation, you slowly pushed open the door. The bell never rang. Bad mistake on your part. Clothes lay splayed out across the wooden floors, the atmosphere heavy with sexual tension. It was warm and stifling, the scent of... SOMETHING circulating around the room.  
There was a spider monster laying on the counter, a fire monster straddling her waist. From what you could make out, the two were stripped down to their skivvies, passionately making out on the wooden countertop. And there went the fire monster’s jacket. Hot damn, pun not intentional. You wanted to leave but your eyes didn’t dare to move away. 

“Grillby, nngh! Somebody c-could walk in on us, you k-know. Mmf!” The spider monster, who was entirely naked on said countertop shivered slightly, the fire monster slowly trailing across her neck. Her two lower legs were wrapped around Grillby's neck, the other six harshly gripping the edge of the counter. While most of it was obscured by the many limbs, you could make out the more lewd parts. Grillby had Muffet pinned underneath him, holding her body in place with his own. You could hear louder squeaks and squeals issuing from Muffet, who'd began to pant.

“Don’t worry. The door is locked.” Apparently not, as here you were, clearly peeking through the crack in the door. Grillby's voice was a low crackle, the pitch sending shivers up your spine. The flames from the fire monster had began to turn a dark reddish color, the monster beginning to move south on Muffet's body. Moving lower and lower until…

“GRILLBY!” Okay, that was enough. You silently slipped out of the shop, letting the door close as quietly as possible. If they wanted to bang on that countertop, then let em’ bang on that countertop to their heart’s content. Or soul’s content? Wait. Didn’t monsters do soul sex instead of the human's way? Did monsters even have genitalia? Well, you certainly saw some in that little skit that just played right in front of you. Wiping the scent from your nose, you left the courting monsters to their... duties. You silently continued onto the christmas tree in the middle of the clearing. The entire way, a resting poker face sat neutral. Sans had just finished up with his purchase by the looks of it, heading over to you.

“where’s the stuff?”

“I couldn’t get it.” You handed Sans the money that he’d given you, your poker face giving off nothing. Your voice was bare of emotion, keeping your arms tucked into the pockets of your tunic.

“why not?”

“You don’t want to know.” 

“tell me.”

“No!” You began to wonder if the two were still banging. You angled your ears towards the small cafe, and sure enough, the sound of muffled groans began to fill your ears. Yep. And by the sound of it, they were going at it like wild animals. Those crazy kids.

“come on. if i can read “the stargazer”, then i can most certainly handle what happened.”

“Okay, so i walked over to Muffet’s like you said, and the sign said that it was open, so i went in but the bell above the door never rang, and i saw these two monsters banging on the countertop inside, and-” At that last part, Sans had broke out in a hysterical fit of cackles, having to stop to catch his breath, only to continue on laughing.

“holy fuck, *wheeze*, who- *cough* who was banging on the c-countertop?”

“Like I need to tell you.”

“was it muffet?”

“Is that the name of the spider monster or the guy that was on fire?”

“holy shit. *wheeze* i knew those two were gonna get together sometime! but who knew that they could be so scandalous?” You choked on your spit, giggling, all the while glaring at Sans who was losing his shit over the fact that you had walked in on Muffet and Grillby having hardcore sex on the countertop.

“who was on top?” You laughed harder at that, the back of your throat becoming sore.

“was it grillby? it was grillby, wasn’t it? Guess he wanted to take her to the bone-zone.”

“Sans no.”

“sans yes.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, you dirty thing!”

“you’re the one who threw me in!”

“We are ending this conversation!” 

“that’s obviously not what grillby thought earlier.”

“Sans, why?”

“if i would’ve know what was gonna happen, i would’ve swapped placed with you.”

“What would Papyrus say?”

“he’d want to get in on that action.” You were dying inside, falling helplessly in the snow as you cackled with laughter.

“maybe they’re still at it. quick! take these bags while i go check!”

“SANS! DON’T YOU DARE!” You latched onto the hem of Sans’s shirt, holding him back from feasting his eyes on the still-going affair.

“We have to go drop this stuff off anyway. There’s no time for you to be a pervert.”

“who knows? grillby might opt for round two.”

“Shut up!” You’d made it back to the skeleton brother’s house, albeit, doubled over with laughter, all the while, Sans making more sex puns. How he knew so many, you would never learn his secret. It took a while to put away the stuff, one of the items being a family-sized bottle of ketchup, and one of honey. Hmm. With a lock of the door, you two had began to set off away from Snowdin Town, the snow falling harder than before. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Papyrus had woken very early in the morning, sometime around four. He checked the small calendar beside his bed, the dates crossed off with multiple red x’s. He breathed heavily. It was tomorrow. The day hadn’t reset. He lazily shifted off of his bed, taking in his messy room. Sans was always telling him to clean it, despite it always getting dirtier and dirtier with every passing day. He stretched silently, a low groan echoing around the room. That’s right. Papyrus had hurriedly tugged on his orange hoodie, taking a box of smokes from his side table. He loudly opened his room door, locking it behind him. As he went to check on Sans, he suddenly stopped and peered over the balcony at the pitch black living room below. It was four in the morning which meant that he’d need to use a light to see. He flicked on the hallway light, eyeing Lion’s sleeping figure on the couch. She was very still. Almost… too still. He slowly went down the stairs, arriving at the side of the couch in a couple of minutes.   
For a second, he thought you were fine. That is, until he discovered that Lion wasn’t breathing. Monsters didn’t have to breath, but those that normally continued on that habit breathed in their sleep. If they didn’t, that meant that something was very, very wrong. Papyrus had listened to the inside of Lion’s chest, it being oddly quiet. He went to move her to sit upright, jumping in surprise as Lion had suddenly rolled over in her sleep, mumbling something about a burning horse. What the heck was a horse? Lion was fine. But that had scared the shit out of him. With a shaky sigh, Papyrus had made his way to San’s room, opening the door just a smidgen. Papyrus let out a small sigh, as he spotted his brother, sound asleep under the covers.   
Papyrus had closed the door again, making his way to his own room. He flopped onto the spring mattress with a groan, covering his eye sockets with his hands. Everything was fine. Frisk hadn’t taken over anything. It was a new day. Ever since Lion had entered the place, Papyrus knew that something was up. Yesterday was supposed to be the day that Frisk had killed Sans, but Lion had apparently kept him from that fate. That was why Papyrus was out all day, scouting for Sans’s cerulean scarf. With nothing to bring back home, even after twenty checks, he came home, only to find the two of you reading silently. And with no sign of Frisk around, Papyrus could only silently celebrate by making spaghetti. Of course, he knew that the time would come eventually, but why was this timeline so different? Was it because Lion had stopped being a background character all of a sudden? In previous timelines, Lion had been around, appearing in the library or taking walks through the snowy forest. He’d even met her before, the girl being very quiet and bland. Whenever Frisk had started their genocidal runs, Lion would just disappear all together. But this time, she seemed to stand out amongst the crowd. This had never happened before... An anomaly perhaps? No. That was Frisk. But Lion DID seem to deter Frisk’s path of genocidal destruction and switch up the timeline's path. Maybe that's why Frisk was so taken with them…  
Papyrus could only stay befuddled, as the morning light of Snowdin began to filter in through his window. He might as well get up now, as he had much work to do...


	16. An Oath Set In Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through the adventure, you end up meeting your partner for the first time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for so long! From now on, things will only get more and more confusing. If you need clarification on what's going on in a chapter, don't be afraid to ask. I'm just going along with the ride here too. Ahuhuhu~

The trip to Waterfall was, at the very least, not what you were expecting… Sans was more than compliant to keep up the random conversations spawning over the first multitudes of awkward pauses that you two frequently came across. It was as if something had come up at the back of his conscious that had now postponed the next bout of small talk, the empty sound of silence filling the rocky cavern that loomed above you two. You were also pondering something heavy, the claws of your paws tucked away into your tunic pockets. You sheathed and unsheathed them, the familiar taste of something on your tongue. You couldn’t describe it, but you knew that the taste was metallic. But the distinct taste wasn’t what bothered you, but rather the harsh dreams that you were recently plagued with. Sure, knowledge is a great thing, but now that you knew why you existed and the heavy shoes you were supposed to fill, you were feeling a bit… out of it. As the silence hung on, you heard the silent clicks of your claws on the stone floor, Sans’s boots echoing an even higher click. From where you were, you could see everything. Sans had told you that this was a secret passageway. He was correct after all.  
From here, the stone floor had began to turn into tall grass, the dark blue stalks tickling your haunches. You could hear the heavy swish of the grass, thick in your ear, sparse dots of early dew dotting the hem of your tunic. You could hear the quiet drips of water, spilling forth from the ceiling and splashing into the cyan sea. Of course, you weren’t anywhere near said sea. You and Sans were up on a high stony ledge, the occasional crack of rock sliding from it’s hold and falling to the ground far below, common. The two of you were so high, that if you really wanted, you could climb up to those dazzling crystals in the ceilings. To take one and study its unique design was your curiosity at its peak. But now was not the time.   
The silence beckoned forth, more so than earlier. You’d taken to reading “The Stargazers” again, the love triangle between Rouile, Magnus, and Gregor drawing forth a question as to ask the social situation between relationships, and if they were really necessary. You were inching towards the middle of the book, it taking ages to do so. The middle page of the entire book was page three thousand, nine hundred and seventy-four. You were deeply engrossed in this particular chapter, the spectacular drama between the two friends, Lula and Henry, was coming to a thick tension. These two were heterosexual, and knew their sexes precisely. So far, the colonies of the eightieth garrison had found their sexuality “detestable” and “cliche” enough to declare a exile of the two. Henry, who was secretly in love with Lula, had protested angrily against the garrison’s actions, starting a full on war for the battle of the sexes. It had gotten to such a high point, much to your dismay, that Henry had battled the leader of the garrison and had perished, the majority of his entrails ripped from his body and his throat severed by the mighty battleaxe of Majah. Lula, had been captured during her scene of heartbreak and mourning, herself not being sexual attracted to Henry , but rather Henry being the most closest friend she’d ever had. She’d managed to escape and in her last efforts of rebellion, hung herself from the mast of the garrison’s royal flag, seen by all, especially the message that she’d written in her own blood moments before her death. You’d quietly cried during this scene, as Lula was the bubbly and bright person in the story who’d taken away the character’s sadness during trials and errors. She was a beacon of hope in the dark, her naivety struck down by the gruesome force that was the garrison. And now she was gone forever. You shipped them too. Oh well. You still had plenty more.   
During your story time, you noticed that Sans had been giving you the side eye. A LOT. You’d catch him doing it in your peripheral vision, but refused to correct him, hoping that he’d see that you’d catch on to what he was up to. But he didn’t stop staring. Did you have something on your face? Meh. You continued to read the vast tome in your paws, saddened by the recent loss, but willing to go on, if only to see the garrison be defeated once and for all. A couple drips of water had caught on your pages, making them wet and blurring some of the words, ever so slightly. How you wished to be a part of this book, but alas, reality is wicked in her fortunes. Or so it seems.

“you seem to be really interested in that book, huh kid?”

“Well, of course i’m interested! One of my favorite characters just died and I feel like burning this book into ashes!”

“lula or henry?”

“Both! It’s unbelievable! The writer needs to stop blowing holes in my ships!”

“hey now! I’m sure everything will turn out fine!”

“That’s because you read the entire book.”

“actually... i’ve never read past lula’s death either. too traumatizing.” 

“I’m gonna spoil everything.”

“please don’t.”

“Where are we right now? I don’t see any civilization.”

“we’re near the four cross. it’s not to far away.” Sans had spoke no more, you continuing to match his pace across the grassy terrain. You tilted your chin to gaze up at the dark ceiling, the crystals embedded in their depths, sparkling. Perhaps if you had time, you’d climb up there and grab one. They’d be great for doing absolutely nothing with. Still. The act was tempting but you had to deliver this parcel in a month’s time. Though it didn’t seem as though the journey would take that long. 

“hey look. we’re already at the four cross.” You turned your attention away from your book, looking at the four cross in front of you. There were three other ways that you could go; one to the north, one to the left, and one to the right. You tucked your huge book into your messenger bag.The question was, which way were you gonna go? You were about to ask when you heard a loud crash issue from the northern path.

“Watch where you're going, punk!”

“S-sorry!” You immediately booked it to the north, turning the corner to see a cat monster and an armored monster. The cat monster had reddish-brown fur, with dark amber eyes to match. They donned a bright yellow t-shirt with pale blue overalls to go along with it. They sat on the floor, hurrying to pick up somethings, a large basket tipped over into the sea.

“Next time, be careful, or you’ll regret it!”

“O-okay!” The monster in the armor was shielded, the only three noticeable limbs peeking out from the dark armor, being, a set of magenta paws, a set of magenta ears, and a large magenta tail peeking out from the backside. With a loud set of clanks, the armored monster strutted away, leaving the poor cat monster to pick up his things. You walked over to the monster.

“Do you need any help?”

“O-oh? Y-yes please!” You began to help the cat monster pick up their things, said things being glittery hamburger buns and various tubes of glitter. 

“That monster didn’t even apologize. What bad manners!”

“Ssh! If you get caught saying things like that, then they’ll be onto you too! You don’t want that. My friend stood up to the royal guards and got severely punished. Now they have him on standby.”

“Standby?”

“When a monster is followed closely by the royal guards. Apart from random limbs, nobody knows who’s behind the armor. It’s a little saddening, that so many monsters are having problems with the government nowadays.”

“Huh. So many things to be worried about.”

“I agree. I don’t think I ever gave you my name. Felix, but most people call me Burgerpants.”

“I guess that’s the lore behind the glittery buns? The name’s Lion.”

“You guessed it. The treats weren’t selling well in Snowdin so I decided to set up shop in Waterfall. You never know unless you try it, hehe.” The two of you had finished picking up all of the stray glittery buns, moving to lift the cart on its side. With a heavy heave, the both of you managed to put the cart right side up once more. 

“Thanks again for helping me. It’s nice to know that there’s still some nice people in the world.” With that, Burgerpants had left, leaving you happier than you were before. You went back to the four cross only to find that Sans had disappeared. You peered into every section, stopping when another monster had called you from the path to your left.

“Hey there youngster! Are you lookin’ fer’ someone?”

“Yes! Have you seen a skeleton around here? About yay high and is wearing a blue scarf?”

“Why yessum, i do believe that skeleton has been somewhere around here! He just came in and bought my entire stock of sea tea. I think he went lookin’ fer’ ya! He shouldn't’ be too far ahead, now.” 

“Thank you!”

“Anytime youngin’!” You exited the shop, continuing on the path that Burgerpants had fallen down on. The cyan glow from the sea had created a tint on the cavern walls, the dancing shadows flickering in the dark. You took a moment to scoop up some of the sea water, the puddle starting to lessen its glow. You let the water flow out of your hands and into the sea. As beautiful as it was in here, you had to keep going. Perhaps Sans had teleported back home or something. Oh well. You let yourself zone out, the faint sound of static steadily filling your head.

‘kid? are you there?’

‘Error?’

‘oh thank asgore. i thought alphys had found you for a second. i’ve been trying to get a hold of you for at least two hours now. but now that you’re here, i can give you my two messages. message number one: when sans introduces you to alphys, don’t say a word about the two humans running amok in the underground. in fact, don’t mention anything about humans. that’ll raise her suspicions. but in the occurrence that chara or frisk happen to get sought out by alphys, protect them. the two are crucial to my plan and if either of them die, then i’ll have to make a whole new plan.’

‘So don’t bring up humans with Alphys, but protect them from her?’

‘bingo. every timeline is different, so there’s no telling what will happen if you let either of them die. if you have to shield them from alphys, do so smartly. make it seem accidental. distract her or something. anything that’ll buy time for the humans and get alphys off of your case.’

‘Okay. I got it.’

‘ok. message number two: you’ll come across someone known as asriel real soon. he’s apart of this grand plan. he’s looks like a glorified buttercup, and he’s also the son of asgore and toriel, and a force to be reckoned with. but i’ve probably already told you that already. anyway, he runs the shop in flowe village. i’ll lead you there by the way. when you get there, mention the word “neutral”. he’ll give you a small riddle with two possible answers to boot. the answers are “pacifist” and “genocide”. if he asks who sent you, tell him “Jerry”. he’ll get the memo. asriel is a good friend of temmie’s so if you mention them, there’s a good chance that they’ll let them know where you are. we already planned this whole thing from the start, so as long as you follow my directions, you’ll be fine. also, there’s a tiny surprise waiting for you in the next room over. give it to the person with the box. that’s all i’m saying for now. i’ll see ya’ soon enough, kid.’

‘Sure.’ With that, you mentally bid Error farewell, and continued on through the watery room. It wasn’t long before you reached the next room, two foreign objects on the ground catching your eye. There were two gears on the ground, much larger than your fists. They had a greenish-teal tint to them, and lit up the surrounding walls with their tint. You took them off of the ground, the gears seeming to glow brighter at your touch. Error said to give them to “the guy with the box”. Fair enough. The room that you were in had an abandoned telescope inside an ident and low and behold, a lone figure stood looming over an empty wooden box. They had a thick band of fur surrounding their head, the fur attached to a baby blue jacket. They wore long basketball shorts, white house slippers attached to socks. If you were here under any other circumstance, you would’ve booked it. 

“Excuse me. What are you doing?” The figure had started at your sudden outburst, whipping around to face you.

“Sans?! I hardly recognized-”

“who are you?”

“Who am I? Maybe this was what Error was telling me about. You don’t know me?”

“you’re supposed to be dead.”

“What now? I’m perfectly fine. I didn’t know that Sans had a twin though.”

“he doesn’t.”

“Well, I know that you’re Sans. You look exactly like him, sans the giant blue eyes.” From the intense silence, you could hear a faint chuckle issue from the skeleton in front of you. 

“Sorry about the pun. I don’t normally make those. What do you mean “i’m supposed to be dead”?” Sans had stopped laughing, staring you dead in the eyes.

“you’re telling me that you haven’t noticed how empty the underground is? i thought they’d killed everybody.”

“Waterfall maybe, but not Snowdin. Where did you get that notion from? You know what? Nevermind. I was told that I was supposed to give you these.” You handed Sans the teal gears in your hand, him gingerly taking them, as if they were a bomb.

“what for?”

“Error never told me, but he just said for me to give you these. Maybe it’s for a machine or something? He never specified the details.” Sans was about to say something, but suddenly, the background had began to dim down, the darkness surrounding the both of you.

“what did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything. This is probably the work of Error.”

“you’re right about that.” Low and behold, your good glitchy buddy had appeared from the darkness, carrying a small white box with him. It was closed.

“who are you?”

“i’m error, another version of yourself. from the exact timeline that you’re in as of now. well. not really.” He pointed to Sans as he spoke, handing you the white box, making no notion for you to open it. 

“who’s she?”

“that would be lion, your partner as of now.”

“what now?”

“i’ll make this a bit easier on the both of you. i know that the two of you are complete strangers, and that you’re timelines are completely different, as sans is from one of the lower branches of the undertale universe, but as for now, i’ve merged some bits of your timelines. there’s a reason that i’ve done this, as this sets in stone what must be done.” You looked just a clueless as Sans did, who was fiddling with the gears in his hands. 

“hey lion. didn’t the older version of you mention this the last time that you spoke?”


	17. The Various States Of Timelines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are many states that a timeline can enter, but there are five main ones that our protagonist will explore. What will come of this newfound knowledge, and more importantly, JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter took so long. I wasn't really paying attention to the story as i'd taken up something else, but with all hiatuses comes an end, or at least, sometimes. The monthly chapter rate will be various, so don't expect a new chapter everyday. With all new chapters, comes new information. Until the next chapter! Ta ta!
> 
> P.S.: There's a lot of text but not TOO much.

“I beg your pardon?”

“your older self told you this the last time the two of you spoke, isn’t that right?”

“I… I mean, I think so? All of this weird dream nonsense is making me question the seams of reality, not that you’d care… Anyway, what’s with all of this arbitrary nonsense?” 

“hold on now. i’m not getting any of this. you two mind explaining what the hell is going here?” Error shot Sans a disdainful look, turning to meet his icy cyan glare with his own. The gears in his hands had began to glow, a soft shade of teal reflecting in your clouded amber gaze. You were just as confused as he was, but you had something of a footing against this other Sans. You could tell by the way his forced smile was strung a little too high. He was irritated and angry, but deep down, you could sense a vast pool of fear. 

“actually, i DO mind, as i’ve tried to contact you numerous times to explain. this is all taking way too much time of mine, as she’ll start to get anxious.”

“Who?”

“older you. she doesn’t take kindly to the fact that you’ll be taking our place in one giant loop that goes on forever, but you know that already, don’t you?”

“Yeah. Gear told me that this whole loop will span the distance of existence. Hey! That rhymes! Nonetheless, I already know that I’m supposed to take her place, right?”

“exactly-” 

“and where do i fit in all of this?”

“you’ll be taking my place. it’s not just, nor is it fair, but would you rather watch the incident on repeat forever?”

“The incident?”

“this has nothing to do with you, as you weren’t present around the time of the-”

“okay. i get it. i’m supposed to take your place in all of this mess. but the real question is, how do we go about this?”

“that’s just it. and that’s where i’m gonna have to cut you off, kid.”

 

“Who? Me?”

“no, the grown skeleton over here- of course it’s you.”

“Oh. Do I have to wake up, or-”

“Nah. I’ll be helping you with that.” Gear had emerged from the white background, an azure sweater replacing the old ratty maroon and gold striped one. It was much longer than the other one, and draped down to her knees. Sans had yet to say anything, a dark scowl plastered onto his skull. Error could only mirror the exact look.

“Come on kid. We have work to do.” Gear had appeared by your side, taking your tiny paw in hers and leading you away from the two squabbling skeletons. 

“Wait. What about reality?”

“Don’t worry, kid. It’s paused.”

“What now?” You’ve heard of many things relating to time, but pausing in reality merely stumped you.

“Your timeline is paused. That is, until you get back. Everybody in your timeline is frozen in place, unconscious from the shift into the anti-void. They won’t remember being paused, as they can’t pick that up on their radars.”

“Okay, now you’re just messing with me.”

“Nope. But we digress. For the midday, i’m supposed to teach you how to handle void timelines. I’m sure you know what that means, but i’ll explain it anyway, dear reader. A void timeline is where the timeline has gone slightly awry. It didn’t go as planned and as of the late, a glitch or anomaly resides there. However, we must go and boot them out. A.K.A., we have to go and kill ‘em. Now, I know how we are, or at least, how we were and how we didn’t want to hurt anybody. Well now that’s gonna change.” The boys had completely disappeared behind you, Gear hastily looking over her shoulder, before placing a paw on the turquoise gear that laid across her chest. The gear had lit up, temporarily blinding you with it’s brilliant light. 

“Don’t worry kid. You’ll get used to it.” You could feel the floor slip out from underneath you, something cold and hard brushing against your paw pads . 

“You can open your eyes now.” You did as Gear instructed, slowly opening your eyes. You gasped in shock, the wonderful light show shining in every direction. You were high up somewhere, thousands of stars surrounding the two of you. Tiny lavender boxes floated to your sides, the thousands of them glowing with the same teal tint. You turned to take in more of your surroundings, coming to realize that there were millions of these tiny boxes. You stared at the biggest one, some couple meters away. A galaxy floated inside, a magenta light wafting off of it. It was truly breathtaking. Gear had ignored your trance and had taken to dragging you down the cobblestone path, your free paw flying out to graze one of the boxes. 

“Be careful. You don’t want to uproot a timeline, do you?” Uproot a timeline? You shot a confused look to Gear, who’d already sent you a look that told you that she would explain soon. You ceased being dragged, and set into hyour own tempo, ignoring the glimmering boxes next to you. The two of you had soon made your way into a small courtyard. A cobblestone tree had sat in the middle, deep imprints hollowed into the trunk. Various decorations hung from it’s crystallized branches, each battered and ancient. 

“Sit.” You did as Gear had instructed and had sat on the cold cobblestone floor. It was icy cold up here, but your thick tunic had kept most of the cold out. Gear had sat across from you, a leather satchel at her side. With a stiff motion, she locked gazes with you, the silence errily settling in. 

“It’s time to begin your first lesson: the states of timelines. Please don’t interrupt me while i’m talking as that’s really irritating. There are five states of timelines, the group being as follows: liberated,fragmented, multitudinous, anomalous, and flat. Let me explain each one. Liberated, as the word might portray, is the finished state of a timeline, good or bad. It’s like how a person will live their life and die, and if that’s the case, death is being finished. The cycle is complete. There are certain qualities to a liberated timeline, as after it is finished, it becomes a flat timeline. But keep in mind that a still timeline can be uprooted, but also keep in mind that you should NEVER uproot a timeline. Doesn’t matter which.” You tried to concentrate, still locked onto her amber eyes.

“Fragmented timelines are the worst kind of timelines, as you’ve been to one before. Actually, we’ve been to multiple timelines, but the reader had only been to two.”

“Who’s the reade-”

“No interrupting! Now, where was I? Oh right! Fragmented timelines are the broken timelines. To be a broken timeline means that a glitch has ravaged the foundation, and had disrupted the natural flow. However, those qualities don’t make a timeline fractured. What makes a timeline fractured is one fact that is accountable in all: that they’ve been uprooted. As a side note, to uproot a timeline is to start it up again. NO, that does NOT mean that the timeline has been reset. Think of a dead person who has come back to life. THAT’S being uprooted. To do so is a misdemeanor and it is why you should never uproot a flat timeline. Here’s the catch about fragmented timelines: you CANNOT put them back together. Once a timeline becomes shattered, you must erase the entire file. Sure, you could leave it hanging, but if it were me, i’d have a guilty conscious. Voiding a fragmented timeline is the worst, because of the extreme toll it has on your mind. You remember that clearing, the one where we first met? The one with all of the corpses? You were in a fragmented timeline. It was much too far gone to turn back into being flat. They all are. For people living in a fragmented timeline, it’s all just one cruel, sick joke, being alive again, and aware of their place in the multiverse. It just drives them insane, enough to the point of suicide. It ALWAYS happens.”

“Then there’s multitudinous. That’s where the people in the timeline are aware of being dispatched onto multiple paths of a timeline. We’ve been to one of those, but i’ve been to millions of them. It never gets old.”

“Anomalous timelines are worse than fragmented, and the reason they’re called “anomalous” is nothing but the punchline to a joke. For every timeline, branched or not, there’s an anomalous timeline to it. What does that mean? Well, it means the mirrored version of said timeline, but not in a good way. There’s always a sequence of data present in an anomalous timeline. The data sequence is a phrase of numbers, each number being a word. The numbers spell out the phrase “ home of the conqueror.” It means that a glitch has made it’s den in said timeline, and it’s currently torturing those who reside in it. Residents of a anomalous timeline remember EVERYTHING, going as far as remembering every single death they’ve endured. Their loved ones too. I’ve been to one of those. They’re really bad, seeing as how once you’ve entered one, you’re fair game for the glitch. Of course, you can’t leave until you’ve destroyed the glitch in it’s system. Those are the rules, and we must abide by them.”

“Lastly, there’s flat timelines. Paused timelines. Like your current timeline. They don’t last forever. Remember, we’re talking about the STATE of a timeline. Flat timelines aren’t all that great. They’re not finished, and can take on the state of liberated, multitudinous, and anomalous. Some flat timelines can even be both. I once went to a fragmented and multitudinous timeline, and each branch was more gruesome than the last. That’s all of them, but you’ll get the hang of it, as i’ll be showing you each of them in due time. The first one will be liberated, but your resistance will gradually be tested. That’s all for the time being, as i’m only telling you about the states. HOWEVER, i can most certainly give you the conditions to a timeline. For liberated, the timeline must reach it’s peak and must be heavily sealed. For fragmented, the timeline must be beyond it’s timeline, and must not correlate with the numeric sequence that it’s paired with. For multitudinous timelines, the main branch must be split and must mold into the other. It’s numeric sequence should follow the disturbance. For anomalous, that strange numeric sequence HAS to be in there. For flat timelines, the timeline must still have some slack. Yours has little slack, as we’re reaching the breaking point. What does that mean, i’m not telling you until next time. But it’s about time we returned you to yours. After all, we have much work to do, and in so little time too!” Gear had taken her eyes off of you, reaching into her bag for something. You got to your paws, stretching from the prolonged action of sitting. You heard a couple bones snap back into place.

“Thank god I get to rest my bones soon.” Gear had made a quiet comment to herself, drawing out a small gear from her satchel. 

“What’s that?” You pointed a claw at the navy blue gear in Gear’s paws, the object giving off a dark blue light.

“This is for you. It’s a time gear. Whenever I must contact you, the gear will glow and will put your timeline in a state of flatness. It’ll pause the timeline until you return. Once you return, just tap the gear to get time flowing smoothly again. It doesn’t matter how many times you pause your session, as time is different for each timeline. If you need to ask me a question just tap the gear. But there does come a warning. If you look closely, you’ll see that there are small lines that cut through the gear. Whenever i’m crucially busy, those imprints will glow red. NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER try to contact me when the lines are red. It means that i’m either killing off a glitch or i’m resetting the flow of time in a certain branch of sessions. It’s dangerous for you to appear where the seams of reality have been broken down. Got it?” Gear had withdrew a thick leather strap from her satchel, pushing the strap through the hole of the gear and tying it at the far end. The necklace was pretty large. 

“Guard this gear with your life. Now I know that people will ask you about this gear, and why it glows, but trust me when I say that lying is better than telling the truth. You’ll have this with you until you reach the spot where I am. You see this gear around my neck? My older self gave this to me millions of years ago. Please don’t lose this. It’ll come in handy near your end.” Gear had graced you with the gear, securely fastening it around your neck. Like a collar of sorts. You silently let her lead you back down the starry path, your amber eyes lingering on the rich purple timelines which floated nonchalantly, sealed away for centuries to come. The trip was silent, a low growl of anger filling your ears as the starry background of the courtyard had faded away into the white nothingness of the anti-void. The two Sans were STILL at it, squabbling over something beyond your ear’s reach. 

“Don’t mind them. That always happens.” Gear had gave your right paw a reassuring squeeze, leading you past the men and farther into the anti-void.

“Where are we-” You stopped, as you noticed the familiar rock walls and glowing ponds of Waterfall. The water didn’t move and the sound of dripping water was all but gone. 

“This is where we bid ourselves farewell. I’ll be back in a few day’s time: a day or two for you, but a week for me. Tap your gear.” You gently tapped the gear that lay against your chest, the object emitting a dark blue wave of light. You felt something cold tickle your cheek as the sound of dripping water filled the cavern once more. The waves of the pond began to slap the edge of the walkway, filling the obnoxious silence with nature’s melody. Gear had melted away into the silence, leaving nothing but the faint smell of citrus and vanilla. It was too late to turn back now. You fingered the dark navy blue gear that sat on your chest, deciding not to hide it in your messenger bag. It was too beautiful. Noticing that the Sans from earlier had decided not to come back, you remembered what you were doing beforehand, and had took up your search for your Sans once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't get the states of the timelines, then i'd be more than happy to explain. Don't be afraid to ask, as I don't get it either! We'll get there though! Eventually...


	18. The Devious Plan For Suicide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damn, that small skeleton is good at hiding. You meet up with old friends to discuss a plan of knowledge, cunning, and suicide...

You’d been walking for quite some time, taking a stroll around the perimeter of Waterfall when you saw it. A lone brass door, sitting at the water's edge, a couple kilometers away from the edge of the azure lake. To the naked eye, it would be almost invisible, but alas, your amber eyes caught that strange amber glint that shone through the darkness. But you couldn’t go to it. It was much too far to consider swimming, not to mention that you couldn’t stand deep waters. It was as if you’d been here before, but something was off. Nonetheless, you turned away from the mysterious door, the sight adding to numerable oddities you’ve seen on your quest. It’d been an hour since Gear had dropped you off, your paws involuntarily moving to caress the huge navy blue gear that sat upon your collarbones. There were no red lines to speak of, meaning that Gear was currently free to talk to. The silence bothered you, and it brang up an unpleasant feeling that pooled in your stomach. Chills ran down your spine as you spotted something small in the distance. It was meandering at a slow pace, stopping to look this way and that. You almost dropped your bag when it stopped at a stand still. It was gazing at you. And then it started to run at you. You quickly took a step back, absentmindedly grabbing for the gear on your chest.

“Lion? Lion, it’s you!” Hmm? You stopped to take a closer look at the monster, recognition looming inside your mind. You knew that cyan and buttercup sweater anywhere.

“Temmie?” It was indeed Temmie, as the cat-dog monster had eagerly rushed up towards you and gave you a comforting smile. But there was something within those dark brown orbs that gestured to fear and anxiety.

“Oh man, Frisk is gonna have a heart attack when they hear this! We’ve been looking for you, this entire time!”

“You have?”

“Yeah! But sadly, Frisk is searching Hotland… I know! I'll just contact them with my phone. Don't question it. There’s someone who i’ve been meaning to show you! They’re not too far away! Hurry, before that skeleton catches us!” 

“You mean Sans, right?” Temmie had began to tug at your toes, eagerly pulling you further into the caverns of Waterfall.

“If you’re talking about the hyper short one, then yes, he’s close by. Just, don’t let him see us. He’s talking to someone, who i’d rather not run into.” 

“Got it.” You hoisted Temmie into your arms, dashing through the corridors of Waterfall.

“Not too long now. Just turn this corner… and…” You’d followed Temmie’s directions, coming to a small room of sorts. It was filled with dim mushrooms, the kind that dotted the grassy interior of Waterfall. 

“Over there. In that dark corner. Nobody goes there because the place is ridiculous. Just, try not to laugh, okay?”

“Got it.” Somewhere, deep inside of your heart, you felt an extreme amount of foreboding, an anxious voice at the back of your head telling you not to go into the dark. But they were merely voices, so you opted to follow Temmie’s directions. You trusted them after all, and trust is a must.

“.....Temmie. What in the ever-loving fuck is this?” Before your eyes, laid an entire room full of god-knows what. The residents, which were a bunch of self-aware flowers were doing unspeakable things. One, in which you had to avert your gaze. Temmie just had this LOOK, in which you could barely contain yourself. You put a single paw to your forehead, rubbing your temples in disappointment.

“Don’t judge me. I told you that this place was ridiculous.”

“Is this a drug-dealing place? One of those things just ate a ‘flowe flake’ and now it’s foaming at the mouth. What the fuck dude.” Temmie was quietly chuckling, as you continued to stare at the ground. That’s a pretty interesting pebble.

“No.... Just... You see the sign that says ‘Shop’? We need to go in there.” 

“Aye aye, captain.” You quietly padded over to the rocky archway, another dark passageway filling your view.

“I sure hope that I don’t get gang-banged in here. What a shame that’d be.”

“Quiet, you.” You continued walking through the alley, a bright light coming into view. Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse. A lone buttercup sat behind a battered cardboard box. The words ‘FlOwE ShOp’ were hastily scribbled in crude shades of crayon. There were various objects scattered about the brightly lit room, one item in particular catching your eye. Flowe flakes. Yep. This was most certainly a drug shop. 

“OH DEAR GOD. WHAT DO YOU IMBECILES- OH. IT’S JUST YOU. WHO’S YOUR FRIEND?” The buttercup dealer had hastily turned towards you, a ever-growing scowl on their face. 

“Don’t worry Asriel. This is Lion.” That name struck you as familiar. Asriel. There was something you were supposed to say here, but you forgot. Oh well.

“ALRIGHT. WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

“It’s about time we introduce her to the plan.”

“WHAT?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! HOW WOULD THIS MONSTER NEANDERTHAL EVEN GO ABOUT UNDERSTANDING TIMELINES AND ALL OF THAT UTTER BULLSHIT?”

“Um, I just went through half an hour of timeline basics, so i’m somewhat sure that i’d be able to understand you.”

“WAIT. WHAT.” Temmie had shot you an excited look before turning back to Asriel.

“So Assy. What do ya’ say?”

“HOW DO YO-”

“You know as well as I do that the four of us have been apart of this plan since the beginning, so unless you like dealing with those incompetent flowers out there, I suggest you buckle up and deal with it.”

“Okay. What’s this plan? And whose ‘the four of us’?” You quietly interrupted.

“SEE?! SEE?!” 

“Hush. The four of us, Frisk, Asriel, Lion, and myself are apart of this grand plan. Since Error has been contacting you about the timeline, i’m assuming that your older self is too, judging from the gear around your neck. Error and your older self are also a part of this plan. You know which one I’m talking about.” Temmie had pulled up two tea chairs in which, while your chair was much too tiny for you, you opted to sit on the floor instead.

“You mean the one about destroying this timeline’s data?”

“That’s the one.”

“OH THANK ASGORE! SHE ACTUALLY KNOWS SOMETHING!”

“Asriel, you’re not making this any bit easier than it needs to be. Frisk should be here soon, as I let them know as soon as I-”

“Oh? So Temmie wasn’t kidding after all. Nice to see you again, sis.” Frisk had emerged from the dark alley, going over by the walls to produce a large boulder. They carefully fitted the boulder into the archway, taking it upon themselves to explain their actions.

“I’m putting the boulder here so that nobody can eavesdrop. This is a conversation strictly between the four of us.” Frisk had taken their place by your left, turning the queer shop into a conversation circle. Sans was probably doing something silly in the meantime. 

“SO WE’RE ALL HERE THEN. APPARENTLY, WE’RE ALL CAUGHT UP TO DATE, AS LION KNOW HER SHIT ABOUT TIMELINES. WHOOPTY DOO! NOW LET’S CUT THE SHIT AND GET DOWN TO BUSINESS.”

“Agreed. Listen closely. The main plan is that me, Frisk, and Asriel will stall the timeline for as long as possible, until Error and your older self have taught you everything you need to know about timelines. How to regulate them, how it’s actually done, all that technical nonsense. While you go about learning all that nonsense, each of us ‘stallers’ will each have a critical mission to do. Frisk has to watch over Chara and curb their genocidal ways until your enlightenment. Asriel has to find a way to secure the six human souls, as the seventh soul will come from Frisk, themself. Don’t ask questions. My job is to fuck shit up. Spread false rumors and the basics of monsters dying. To cause a panic. To confuse the enemy. Each of us will get stronger while you get stronger AND smarter. Your job is to get a grasp of the concept of timelines. Once that’s done, we each set into the main climax: your death. Well, somewhat. Error and Lion’s older self will be waiting for Lion’s death which Frisk and I will take care of. Once again, I’ll stall anybody who tries to stop the process. This may be a suicidal mission, but this timeline is just a ticking time bomb, ripe for the explosion. You got all that?” Temmie’s explanation was quick and varied.

“So what i’m hearing is, you three will keep the peace while I get my shit together, and then once that’s done, we fuck shit up, you two kill me, and then apparently from Error’s knowledge, he pulls me out before I truly die, Error and older me kill the glitch, and then they destroy the timeline. Is that about right?”

“EXCELLENT. THAT’S EXACTLY IT.”

“Sooo… Have you come up with any ideas yet Asriel? Those six human souls aren’t gonna seek us out, ya’ know?” Temmie prodded. Asriel gave a troubled grunt and looked anxiously into Frisk’s ruby red gaze.

“ONLY ONE, BUT IT’LL CHANGE THE PLANS SLIGHTLY..”

“Well? Don’t keep us waiting. Spill the beans, Assy.” By the way that Frisk got closer to the flower, you could tell that they were excited, Damn you were confused.

“IN ORDER TO SECURE THE SOULS, I HAVE TO SNEAK PAST THE JUDGEMENT HALL. THAT MEANS THAT FRISK WILL HAVE TO CURB THOSE SKELETON’S CURIOSITies. THE QUEEN IS A FOOL, SO IT’LL BE EASY TO GET PAST HER. NOT THE OTHER WAY, BECAUSE, FOR A CLUELESS QUEEN, SHE’S GONNA BE ONE HELL OF AN ENEMY TO PACIFY. I HAVE TO SNEAK PAST HER THRONE ROOM AND INTO THE ENTRANCE OF THE BARRIER. THERE’S A PLATFORM UNDERNEATH THAT CONTAINS THE SOULS. I CAN JUST BURROW UNDERNEATH THE SLAB.”

“If pacifying the skeletons is what I must do, then so be it-” Frisk had took out a large knife from their shorts pocket, the blade pointed towards the floor.  
“-because if they start trouble… then i’ll be more than happy to take on my carapace.” Frisk had put the blade back into their pockets, turning their head to slowly look at you. Temmie had faced you too, the two of them each having a grimace of their face.

“But let’s talk about something more worrying. Killing off our knowledge player. That means you, Lion. Er… We have to find a way to kill you, that will undoubtedly kill you, but keep you alive long enough for Error and your older self to work their magic, and bring you into the anti-void on your last breath. We have no idea on how to go about that. Any suggestions, seeing as how you’re going to be the one on your deathbed?” Even though this whole conversation was taking a grimdark spin, you thought hard about a way that would be sufficient enough to certainly kill you, but leave you alive for a minute or two. Suddenly, a vague pair of memories came to light. 

“JUDGING BY THAT LOOK ON YOUR FACE, YOU HAVE AN IDEA, DON’T YOU?’

“Two actually.”

“Wha-” Frisk had went from grim to horrified, Temmie joining in on the expression party.

“There are two ways that might keep me from immediate death. Idea number one: severing an important vein. Idea number two: piercing the stomach. Bleeding to death will take a of couple minutes, depending on which blood vessel you cut. If you were to pierce my stomach, the acid inside would slowly eat away at my insides before devouring the rest of me. Both are equally painful. The decision is up to you.”

“WOW. THIS ENTIRE IDEA IS REALLY FUCKED UP. EITHER WAY, YOU’RE GOING TO DIE A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH, AND THAT MUST MAKE YOU TWO FEEL AWFUL, HUH?” Asriel had pointed a spare leaf towards Temmie and Frisk, who were both sharing a dark knowing look.

“To cure your worries, it doesn’t really matter, seeing as how I’ve experienced both in past timelines, maybe? Just pick one and be done. With that blade of yours, Frisk, you can do one, or both. Just… don’t cut my throat. Anywhere but my throat.” With a last grunt of satisfaction, the group had all agreed on using the ‘bleed to death’ method instead of the stomach method. Meh. You couldn’t care less either way.

“YOU SOUND SO NONCHALANT ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING.” Each of the three were fixing you with unnerving stares.

“I’ve seen some shit, let me tell you. And apparently, my older self will be dropping in to whisk me away to satan’s butthole constantly, so I couldn’t care less. On another scale, I have nine lives. Once I die, there’s a sure chance that i’ll come back, good as new. It just… takes some time. Heh. But seriously. I don’t really care about dying. After all, we’re all destined to die someday right? What’s the point of getting worried over nothing? Are we all in terms of agreement or not?”

“I AGREE TO THE TERMS.” 

“I… I agree to the terms.”

“I agree to the terms, even if it means killing you sis.” 

“Okay. I too, agree to the terms. Now that that’s settled, I have a queen to find. Got to deliver this parcel to her majesty, so to speak.”

“I SEE. WELL HAVE FUN WITH THAT! LET US KNOW WHEN YOUR OLDER SELF CONTACTS YOU AGAIN, AS THAT’S WHEN THE FUN WILL REALLY START.”

“Sure thing Asriel. Well, I’m off. How the hell did you move this giant boulder Frisk?” Frisk and Temmie had gotten up from their positions, coming over to help you move the boulder away from the entrance.

"................"

“hey, I-” It was Sans. He’d come to Flowe Village looking for you. Only to see what looked to be a secret gathering with three people he couldn’t stand. Well shit. Things are always hitting the fan around here, huh?


	19. A Strange Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, more filler but a there's a scene with Asgore and Toriel so, yeah...

“Oh? Hiya Sansy! What are you here for?” Frisk had decided to poke their head over your shoulder, a slightly teasing edge to their voice.

“i was just looking for Lion here.”

“Okay then. Looks like i’ll have to delay this meeting for later. See ya later guys.” You had hastily made your way out of the shop and into the dark alleyway, Sans following quickly in pursuit. Frisk, Temmie, and Asriel had decide to roll the boulder back into place.

“what were you doing in there?”

“We were discussing a certain topic including a voyage of kinds.”

“a voyage..?”

“Yup! Though Frisk is kind of hesitant about crossing the water, so to speak. But we’ll find a way. Anyhoo, what is it that you needed me for?” The two of you had just excited Flowe Village, stepping over the many illuminated mushrooms. Huh. Sans must’ve been in a hurry to find you. 

“you know that package that you’re delivering?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“the client is nearby. i told her to wait, so she’s waiting for us to return.”

“Wait a second. You know the client?”

“papyrus told me. it’s no wonder that you’d prepared yourself for a long trip. i just so happened to come across her on her way to visit Alphys.”

“Who’s Alphys?”

“you’ll see.”

“That can only mean bad things.” The two of you had decided to backtrack, going back to the room with the many ponds. The room was much dimmer than before, as the water no longer glowed with the bright hue that it normally had. You snuck a quick glance at the gear on your chest, and surprisingly caught the faint tint of red at the center. 

“-and I suppose you sent her to do your dirty work!”

“What are you talking about, woman? I merely had my hands full! You cannot expect me to take these children all across the underground just to deliver a letter to someone who’s so unworthy of it in the first place!”

“UNWORTHY?! WHY I OU-” You and Sans had turned around the corner to spot two monster having a heated argument. Wait a second. Was that..?

“Oh? Is that you Lion? Come over here for a second.” You quickly obeyed, scrambling over to Asgore’s side. He was in his normal tunic, all for one stray wool hood that hid his head. His huge feet and horns still gave him away though. The monster he was having an argument with appeared to be his gender counterpart, a female goat monster who was a head shorter than Asgore. She eyed you with curiosity, taking a step back to allow you to get closer to Asgore.

“Retrieve that box that I gave you.” You did as he said, digging into your yellow messenger bag to bring out a tightly wrapped box. It’d been sitting in that bag for quite a while now. 

“Here. I figure that since you're here, you might as well read it.” Asgore had thrusted the box at the goat lady, who angrily snatched it from his paws, irritation playing clearly on her features. Asgore had then turned towards you, but the lady had beaten him to the punch.

“And who is this?”

“Why is it any of your business?”

“It’s not. I just think that’s it’s weird for a grown man such as yourself to be bossing around a young girl.”

“I’m not bossing her around!”

“Oh really? What is your name young one-”

“Don’t go bringing her into this!” You weren’t really good at fights, and you would prefer to stay out of them.

“Um. I-it’s Lion.” The goat lady had gave a faint smile.

“Oh? That’s quite a unique name. Tell me, how do you know Asgore?”

“That is also none of your-”

“Now hush! I’m not asking you! I’m asking dear Lion over here. Now, you were saying..?”

“Well, I’ve been living with him for a long time.”

“Oh? So why are YOU delivering his message?”

“Well, Asgore had his hands full with the other three, so he wanted me to deliver it to you, so that he could watch over the others.” The goat lady had then angrily turned towards Asgore.

“And you said that you didn’t want the children to go gallivanting across the underground! But apparently, you can send a young child across the icy tundra of Snowdin, the watery graveyard of Waterfall, the excruciating heat of Hotland, and the complex maze of the Core! Now how does that make the slightest of sense, Asgore?” Now that you truly thought about it, the excuse did come off as strange. The only reason that he sent you, was because you could protect yourself with your magic. 

“It seems to me as if you favor the other three more than you do with this one! What a shame.”

“should i just leave or…?” You and Sans shared the same expression, the two of you wanting to leave this embarrassing situation.

“We need to have a talk woman.”

“Aren’t we having one already, Asgore?” It was clear that the goat lady was winning this argument now, Asgore desperately trying to find a foothold.

“Oh. Well would you look at that! That river looks pretty interesting! I’m think i’m just gonna-” You tried to excuse yourself out of this situation.

“Now now. There’s no need for that. Since we’ve already had a talk Asgore, I suppose a chat with the child wouldn’t hurt, now would it?”

“How dare-”

“Oh, I dare. You don’t mind, do you child?”

“Nope. Not at all. See ya later Sans. Asgore.” The goat lady had held her paw out to you, in which you had taken. It was warm but not clammy, signaling that she wasn’t nervous at all. Impressive. The goat lady had led you away from the two men, the two of you coming to a bank of sorts. Various pebbles lined the shore, icy waves of water slapping against the rocks.

“Oh wait. I never did introduce myself, did I? I’m Toriel. Though I suppose you think badly of me because of that situation back there.” Toriel had gone to sit at the bank of the water, her unusual outfit registering in your head. She wore a long tunic, a rich purple velvet draping over her tall form. It looked similar to Asgore’s, but more feminine than his.

“Nah. I don’t like to judge. So you want details, huh?” You went to sit beside Toriel.

“Nowadays, I don’t know whether I should hate that old fool or trust him.”

“Romance tension, or something else…?” At that, Toriel had covered her snout, a low chuckle echoing throughout the cavern.

“I suppose. That old goat does the strangest things nowadays. I knew that he was harboring four children. Let alone his strange excuses. But alas, i’m really curious as to why. You say you’ve been with him for a long time?”

“Yeah. I sort of lost my memory a long time ago and I woke up in the ruins. Two of the children that he was parenting at the time, had led me to him, and ever since, i’ve been living with him. It’s strange no matter how you look at it.”

“These children. Are they humans or monsters?”

“Both. Two are human, two are monsters, including me. Now I know that I probably wasn’t supposed to beat around the bush and lie, but seeing as you’re actually pretty nice, I won’t lie. I’ve met both of the human children. They’re equally nice, and they kind of look like twins, if you look hard enough. Heh.”

“So you lost your memory?”

“Yeah. I can’t remember anything before I woke up in the ruins. It’s all just a void before that.”

“So why did he ask you instead of the other three, to deliver this parcel to me?” That’s right. Toriel still had that parcel. Asgore had mentioned that it was a letter of sorts. Hmm.

“I can use my magic to defend myself. The humans can’t, and I’m not sure if Temmie can even use magic. I’ve never even seen them try.” 

“I see. That really catches me as odd, as he would send a young monster child through the toughest of climates, but would hesitate to send a Temmie, and two human children. That would seem to be estranging you from the rest.”

“I’m sure it’s not like that-”

“Tell me child. What did he send you with? Did he send you off with food? Perhaps blankets? Or perhaps a phone? Or maybe, he just sent you off with the parcel and expected you to make it happen.”

“Well I took a blanket and a phone-”

“But no food? No batteries? That’s quite uncaring of him to do so. What would you have done if there was a blackout in Snowdin and the cell signals were down?”

“I-”

“Exactly. That old brute doesn’t know what he’s doing. It’s a shame. Well, thank you for at least sharing your side. I find it weird that he justs takes in random children that he finds from wherever. I’m even more curious about that Temmie. That’s not even necessary in the slightest.” 

“So what’s in that parcel? Asgore said that it was fragile but from the way that he took it from me, it’s not.”

“Oh, it’s just a letter. Nothing more. He insists on avoiding me and using the postal service to continue our arguments over the stupidest things that i’ve done. I know that they are bad things but why not let it be water under the bridge?”

“What did you do that upset him?”

“I’ve murdered six human children.”

“Whoa. WHOA. Hold up. You murdered six human children? Why?”

“It takes seven human souls to break the barrier that’s keeping monsters tethered to the Underground. I only need one more soul and he’s keeping two from me.”

“Okay. That’s… pretty understandable. You don’t seem to be a psychopathic serial killer and you don’t seem to revel in the fact that you did. It’s still a pretty bad thing to do, but you probably did it for the civilians, am i right?” Toriel sadly nodded her head, putting her snout back in her paws again.

“He thinks that i’m a dirty child killer and that I can’t be trusted around children. I’m only trying to do what’s best for the people. Is that such a bad thing to do? I don’t know anymore.” 

“There, there. I’m sure that things will work out eventually. It may seem bleak now but you just need to remember that bad times are only times that are bad. Nothing more.” You gave Toriel a few reassuring pats on the back. Sure, what she had to do was bad, but there was no other way around it. Gear had told you that humans had went extinct when you’d fell down here, so your attempt to cheer her up was false. The only humans left were the two that were down here. That was it.

“Ahem.” It seems as if Asgore wasn’t finished, as he’d appeared some couple feet away.

“Lion. You may go and do whatever now. You duty to deliver that parcel is finished. I need to have a quiet discussion with Toriel.”

“Well, okay. See ya later, Toriel. Things will get better, I promise.” With that, you’d rose from your spot beside Toriel, and had exited the room, back towards Snowdin. You’d leave these two to their argument. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toriel had watched Lion’s figure rise slowly from the pebbles, her amber eyes shooting her a look of reassurance before she completely disappeared behind the curtain of lichen that barred the room from eavesdroppers. Great. Now she was left alone with the brute, himself. Toriel could feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head, her own eyes focused on the azure waves that quietly slapped against the shores.

“What do you want Asgore? Our conversation is over, I got your package, end of story.”

“What were you telling her? Lies, I presume?”

“The truth!”

“It’s quite obvious that you’re only trying to win the child over to your side. Are you going to use her as a spy?”

“I suppose that she readily took the position. I already knew about those human children that you're sheltering in that rickety place, you call a house! And she didn’t even lie about the two!”

“Good. I wanted you to know that I will never give you the human children. Do what you want with the monsters but you will not lay a single claw on the humans.”

“So you ARE estranging that child from your family of rogues! That poor child! And you think you’re doing yourself a favor by protecting the humans and using that monster child as a shield?!”

“I’m not using that chi-”

“YES YOU ARE! THAT CHILD COULD’VE DIED AND YOU SENT THEM OFF WITH NOTHING BUT THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACKS AND THAT GODDAMN USELESS LETTER?! AND YOU CALL ME THE MMTHFMFF?!” Before Toriel could even comprehend what had happened, Asgore had shushed her with an angry kiss, holding her against the rock wall to prevent her from escaping. Without hesitation, Asgore had suddenly pulled away, leaving Toriel breathless in confusion. 

“Please. Stop talking.”

“So instead of just asking me to quiet myself, or waiting until i was done, you insist on kissing me to shush me?!”

“And here we go again.”


	20. A Thinking Hiatus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The process of thought for you is becoming harder, no doubt. Are you really up to the task? Or are you getting cold feet at the last second?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of THE GREAT HIATUS!!! Sorry that it took me so long! There will be at the least four to six chapters a week, as it'll begin to delve farther into the plot. Until then, kudos!

No More Hiatus!

The snow whipped by in a dazed frenzy, the bits clinging to your dark brown tail. As the background went whizzing by, you could only hope to gain enough momentum to pass. Sans was close behind with Frisk following pursuit. Chara and Papyrus were neck-a-neck for fourth. A lone snowball barely cuffed your head before you went flying down the snowy slopes. Checkpoint. A bright red flag had whipped by, signaling yet again, another checkpoint.

“Shit. She’s catching up.” Muffet had passed both Sans and Frisk, eager to catch up to you. Half of Snowdin had entered in the contest, and boy was it intense. Monster kid, the bouncer, the librarians, Grillby, and even the dog sentries were competing. The rest of the town could only screech in delightful cheers. The roar of the icy wind was particularly deafening but you weren’t even near the finish line yet. You involuntarily ducked as a large snowball had went flying over your ears. Throwing your body to the left, your cerulean sled went careening to the side, weaving between a few pine trees. From above, you could hear a certain victory cry as Muffet had become first place.

“Not for long…” You pushed the sled forward once more, the ledge coming into view. The finish line was stationed at Sans’s sentry station. You had just passed by the bridge of Snowdin from far away. 

“Whoa!” Muffet had just barely hit your sled with her rich purple one, a challenging gleam in her eight opal eyes. You gave a quick snarl back as the two of your sleds went flying down the sides. With a thunderous thump, the two of your sleds had hit the surface of the ice lake. It was now or nothing.

“Lion!” You whipped your head around to the sound of Papyrus’s shriek. He wasn’t that far behind but was catching up rather slowly. He had a look of utter panic on his face.

“Don’t let her win!”

“If I win then you’ll have to pay your tab~” Muffet teasingly called back towards him.

“Well shit.” You threw out your legs, your hind claws catching on the ice. Sparks had started to fly out from underneath your feet. With a heave, you pushed your sled forward, steering with your hind claws. The rest of the racers had now hit the ice. It was a wonder that the ice didn’t cave in.

“My, my! That’s cheating!” Muffet had yelled.

“No it isn’t!” As you reached the far end of the lake, you quickly jumped back into your sled, propelling yourself forward. It was the final length now. The slopes were about to wreck your sled. You’d suddenly went flying off of the slopes, as had Muffet. With a screech, you’d landed back on the ground again. Sans’s sentry station was back in sight. Only a little more. 

“Don’t think that this is over!” A small caterwaul had split the air.

“Wha-” Frisk had suddenly caught up, and they were now about to pass you. Nope. With one final push, your cerulean sled had flew forward, the snow flying out from underneath it. Your sled had given one final lurch off of the hills and had flew forward to slam against the ground. Sans’s sentry had whipped by. 

“Oh come on!”

“That tab will have to wait for another day.” You’d let out a victory screech before flying out of your sled and slamming into a tree. Your sled on the other hand had did a barrel roll in the snow and had gently collided with the edge of a tree.

“Victory!”

“You cheated!” Frisk’s demeaning voice had sounded.

“All is far in snow and war.” You murmured.

“That’s not even how the quote goes, and you know it.” Frisk had appeared by your side, heaving you onto your paws.

“You alright kid?” Papyrus had meandered over to you with Sans in tow.

“Yeah. I mean, you just kind of slammed into that tree there.” At the mention of that, the three of them had winced.

“I’m fine. Just a little sore in the ribs.” The skeleton brothers had winced harder. After your whole parcel quest, you’d gone to relax in Snowdin with the skeleton brothers, who kept annoying you into coming out everyday. You still lived with Asgore, who was a bit kinder to you than before. Chara was gone all the time, and with them went Frisk. Speaking of Chara, they’d just came flying through the goal. But they didn’t slam into a tree.

“one of these days, you’re gonna hurt yourself kit.”

“Not if I can help it! I’m gonna go get some cinnabunnies from the shopkeepers. You guys want any?”

“Ooh! Ooh! Get me some!” Frisk had eagerly clutched onto the hem of your purple tunic, their eyes narrowed in pleading. 

“You can come with me if you want.”

“Yes!” Frisk had taken your paw in their tiny hands, eager to set out. Papyrus, Chara, and Sans had also went to set out, Papyrus calling back.

“Thanks for beating Muffet, kit! Meet us at home, alright?”

“You got it!” As you and Frisk had left the clearing, the huffs of defeat had faded into silence. The gentle snowfall was relaxing in all its glory, but as the two of you walked, you found your thoughts wandering to the teal gear that sat snugly on your chest. Gear said that she’d contact you in a day or two. It’d been a day so far, but your anxiety kept acting up. You were nervous and excited to learn more. After all, the fate of this timeline depended on it. Frisk was also glancing at it, stifling a concerned sigh as the lines inside the gear had suddenly turned red. That meant that Gear was busy. Alas, it would take more time than a day..

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You were curled up in the thick comforters, the smell of cinnamon and vanilla reaching your nostrils. Frisk and Temmie were curled up on their bed, soft snores filling the room. Asgore was also asleep, but his snores were much louder, keeping you up. Not that you’d say anything about it though. You tossed and turned only to find yourself staring up at the ceiling. You hadn’t been able to sleep for the past three days, and tonight would be no different. All of the excitement had done nothing to ward off the queasy feeling that pooled in your stomach. You hadn’t eaten anything, and you were too nervous to tell anything to Frisk or Temmie. The teal gear had been tucked away inside your bedside dresser , the red lines still showing. Your bright amber eyes glowed in the dark, confused and weary.   
How were you supposed to do this? Sure, death wasn’t worth batting an eyelash at, but deep down in your heart, you feared it. It’d be painful, no doubt, bleeding to death and all. You’d known similar bouts of pain in your life, but never had you agreed to something so blindly. And yet, you’d agreed to be a part of this plan. Well, not really. This whole timeline depended on you playing the part of the victim. You didn’t want to sound pitiful, not with Asriel having to steal the SOULs of dead children, Frisk having to curb Chara’s murderous tendencies, and Temmie having to cause mass discord. Just…   
With a sigh of resentment, you’d risen quietly from your place in bed, throwing back the warm covers. You’d shivered a little, probably because you were dressed in a small t-shirt and shorts. You tiptoed to the dresser and retrieved your glasses, leaving behind your gear. She wouldn’t call tonight. You quietly opened the door, padding out into the dark hallway. Tiptoeing down the stairs, you made your way through the corridor, pushing open the double sets of double doors. You gave a small yelp as the icy winds of Snowdin had encased your frail form. Not too cold for you to have to use your fire magic. Turning your head to the sides, you set off in the snow, the blizzard of tonight covering your tracks. Not even the dog sentries would be able to track you down.  
You’d taken the secret way, a narrow trail up the slopes of Snowdin. As you peered out into the snowy darkness, you spotted a small light shining in the distance. No matter. You continued on, the icy winds battering your form. You passed by Snowdin, coming to the trail to Waterfall. You hesitantly went forward. It’d already been an hour and a half. Would you get back before Asgore woke up? Well… it’s not like he cared either way. What Toriel had said had plucked a certain heartstring. Did Asgore really care, or was he only using you as a shield? You had no idea. Nights like these made you think hard, often coming to painful memories as a result. But you were tough.   
The quiet interior of Waterfall had changed from peaceful to eerie. It was pitch black inside and the swish of the water did nothing to combat your fear and anxiety. Taking a deep breath, you kept forward, fading into the background of Waterfall.

 

It’d been awhile but you’d finally found it. A lone statue that had sat in the middle of a corridor. For some strange reason, a candy red jacket had been propped up on the statue’s horns, a quiet and melancholic melody playing. Whose jacket was this? You’d stopped in your tracks to listen, a ghost of a smile playing on your lips. You didn’t smile enough. It was a sure facade to throw others off your tracks, but in the times where you were truly alone, it was sad to smile again. Not that you were pessimistic, but there was so little to smile about nowadays. Still, you found your tail swishing to the tempo, the melody filling the small hallway. You’d have to make a note to come back here. Perhaps you could play this song with a music box. It would sure help with sleeping…

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“A little farther.. Right there!” A small monster had gently pushed the water outwards with her creamy paws, the lily pads on the surface swaying with the water. It was a particularly sunny day, the pale rays of the spring sun shining off of the dew that clung to the birch trees. The clear lake was pleasantly calm as two monsters sleepily floated on its surface.

“Lightning! Lion! You guys are not helping at all!” A tall cat monster had stretched from his place on the lake’s surface.

“Helping? With… *yawn* with what?” While your father was a bit clueless at times, he was undeniably smart. You floated a little farther from him, the spare lilies catching on your tail. Spring was always a season filled with death, but with it came the small bouts of peace that were littered throughout your life. You’d blissfully closed your eyes, feeling the movements of the bass that swum far below the water’s surface. Your mother had been arranging the lilies on the northern bank, due to her weird fetish with flowers. Your father on the other hand had been floating alongside you, enjoying the small amount of time to let go. 

“Help me arrange these!”

“Oh. Alright. Don’t drown now Lion. Wouldn’t want to become kip to the bass, eh?” With a splash, your father had swam back to the edge, leaving you to float all by yourself. The light blue sky reflected lazily off of the water, the large clouds beginning to take shape. What they were, you couldn’t remember. But where was this memory coming from? From the depths of your mind you could remember catching a large bass that same day. Another sprang forth in which played a certain scene.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Don't go wandering into the catnip again, my cub. Stay around here.” Your mother had set off with a bushel of honeysuckle and lavender clutched in her paws. She was going to plant them near the lake bed. You’d taken an eager step forward, your left paw catching on a lone tree root. With a yelp, you’d tripped, rolling through the daisies and buttercups that had grown around the lake for a long time now. You’d come to rest near the patch of wildflowers and geraniums, brushing the dirt off of your peach apron. You could hear the calls of the crows and pigeons as you went crashing through the underbrush. 

“Lion! Lion, where’d you go?!” You didn’t have time to remember as you came to a particular pond. Your favorite pond. It had the bare population of catfish that occasionally swam by. But your favorite part was the lone lotus flower that gracefully bobbed with the water. It was a soft and soothing pink which always caught your eye. You’d put these flowers here quite a long time ago. It was when that suicidal human came through here. They’d been about to jump when you managed to talk them out of it. They’d promised to keep living and with it, they’d given you a lotus that they’d grown. As long as it kept floating, they’d keep hoping. It’d been five years already?

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You anxiously shook your head, thinking back to your parents. They were dead, weren’t they? That’s what Gear said, right? But they were close to their last lives, weren’t they? You couldn’t tell anything from anything anymore. Sitting against the wall, you blatantly eyed the statue, whose melody played a different tone, albeit, one that was quieter. You could sit here all night and think back on your life or go back to the Ruins. You didn’t call it home anymore. It never really felt like home. Nowhere did. You heaved yourself to your paws, wincing at the sudden pain in your ribs. That’s right. You’d fractured one of your ribs during that snow race. Oh well. You’d set off again, the quiet pats of your paws echoing in the darkness of Waterfall.

You’d made your way out of Waterfall, your thin red t-shirt flapping in the icy breeze of Snowdin. Man, was it cold. You continued on walking, this time passing the skeleton brothers house. You could use a walk to gather your thoughts. Every light in Snowdin had been extinguished. While you had no clock to tell the time, you could just barely make out the faint wisps of light from the ceiling of the cavern. You’d continued on walking, the fresh snow crunching underneath your paws. They’d just be covered in snow soon. The blizzard had ebbed, and with it came the smell of the snow and a strange hint of dew. Every door in the small city was closed, the only sound being that of the swaying pine trees and the quiet creaks of the wood. 

“Why does this always happen?” Snow had begun to collect on your glasses. You took them off and wiped the snow on the corner of your shirt. You’d given a tiny shiver, only realizing just how cold you were. You continued forward to the bridge, eyeing a small wooden board in the middle. Why did this stir up memories? The board looked pretty sturdy and set… A sudden image of yourself falling through the board flashed through your head. Perhaps it was from another timeline? Yeah. That was probably it. You had begun to linger around the gorge, staring into it’s bottomless depths. Was it bottomless? Who knew. 

Loud footsteps had begun to sound off behind you.

“What are you doing up so early Lion?” The voice was unusually gentle, with an air of elegance to it. You turned around only to face Toriel, garbed in a long purple tunic, much like the one you wore on expeditions. You gave her a small shrug turning to face the gorge once more. The snow had seemed to swirl and stray above its edge, as if teasing gravity.

“Just out on a walk, Toriel. It’s quite peaceful during the early hours…”

“Well… I wouldn’t wish to disturb you child… Perhaps we’ll meet near the Ruins.”

“Why are you heading to the Ruins? I thought that you and Asgore had a row or something. Hmmmmmmm..”

“I just thought that i’d check up on those children of his. Does he even know that you’re out and about, child?”

“No. I’ve gone out before and I always get back before he gets up. Either that or I just leave him a note. Though I don’t think that I left one this time. Meh. He’ll get over it.”

“Well.. alright. I’ll be sure to tell him where you’ve wandered off to. Make sure to get home safe, child.”

“Will do, Toriel.” With that, Toriel had set off down the bridge, the accused wooden panel holding steady until she’d successfully crossed. You drew your attention away from the queen and went back to thinking, an uneasy note holding in your head. If Toriel had gotten there before you did, then there’s no doubt that Asgore would be awake, and that he would take notice of your disappearance. You gave a grim frown and sank your claws into the cold snow. Not that he’d care anyway. After two hours of thinking, the faint wisps of light had grown brighter signaling that the morning for Snowdin was coming. How did it go for Waterfall and Hotland? It was always daytime in Hotland.  
You’d unsteadily risen to your paws, absentmindedly shivering. You’d been out for six hours, two in Waterfall, and four in Snowdin. It was time to go back to the Ruins. You’d avoided the bridge for some reason, opting to take the long way around. The morning light on the lake was quite relaxing, white orchids growing in clumps here and there. Climbing the slopes was no problem, as you’d done it plenty of times before during sleepless nights. You’d passed many puzzles in which you were too lazy to complete. You didn’t even stop to look at the snow monsters or sentry stations. After a while, you’d found yourself at the doors of the Ruins, the two appearing much bigger than before. You stared at them dejectedly before weakly opening the first pair. The second pair was much more of a challenge but you’d pushed them open without a complaint. You’d quietly made your way up the stairs and into the parlour. Few noises were coming from the dining room but you were too tired and dizzy to care.

“No, I didn’t kn- THERE YOU ARE!”

You made your way to your room where you collapsed onto your bed, the cotton feeling much like sandpaper and the comforters felt much too thin and small. You gave up entirely, opting to curl up into a ball. Frisk and Temmie were nowhere in sight, which meant that you had the whole room to yourself. You blatantly stared up at the ceiling in weariness, your paws involuntarily gripping the blankets. 

All of a sudden, a bright teal accent lit up the room. You gazed at the dresser drawer before turning away from it. Now was not the time for that. You didn’t feel like you were up to it. Before your walk, it’d taken all of your strength not to look at the pendant that adorned your dresser, but now, you could hardly care less about it. But low and behold, your decision didn’t matter. As you closed your eyes, you felt the bed slip out from underneath you, a cold air coming to encase you. You gave an involuntary shudder and opened your eyes, a blank expanse of white extending in every direction. How ironic. Since nobody was around, you took a step forward, and another one, beginning to walk in a random direction. The silence was deafening.

“Where are you going?” You’d heard a small voice pipe up from behind you. Slowly turning your head around, you went to face Gear, a black sweater draped around her shoulders. Her dark brown hair looked even more unkempt than before and her amber eyes were bright with amusement. How you wished not to be here. You just wanted to think some more.

“We have work to do! Now come along! It’s about time that I show you a liberated timeline! You’ll like them!”

“I bet...” Gear had said nothing more as the two of you had began to walk in a different direction, apparently heading into more whiteness….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's better to read chapters like these with music. I suggest Lotus Bloom (HS) or Candles and Clockwork (also HS). Whatever piece of music fits it. Kudos!


	21. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do YOU remember?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is blatantly suggested that this story might be a reference to A Monster From The Surface, so if you've read that one, it'll make more sense with the whole "remembering scenes." Kudos!

An Old Set

“You’ll find that this new set of timelines is quite joyous! This one right here was your first timeline! Look!” Gear had pulled your small paw in hers towards a gold-tinted box, the letters E07048 engraved in the front. It looked to be sealed tightly.

“Didn’t you say not to uproot a timeline?” Gear had turned back towards you, an excited look on her features. What was she so excited about?

“I did. However, you’re not going to uproot this one. There’s a difference between uprooting a timeline and opening a timeline. Opening a timeline is revisiting a timeline that you’ve already been to! Sorry if i’m talking too fast but I REALLY think you’ll enjoy this one!” Gear had made to stand beside you, her form quivering with excitement. You, on the other hand, were somewhere between sad and confused. What did she mean that you had already been to this timeline? Oh yeah. Somewhere back in chapter ten? Or was it chapter fifteen? Meh. 

“Okay. To open a timeline, you have to place both of your paws against the sides of the sealed timeline. Like so.” Gear had gently taken your paws in hers and had affixed yours to the side of the golden box.

“Then you have to say the numerals on the box. Even if you don’t know what they stand for, you’ll trigger an opening, that is to say that the memories of this timeline and many others will come back to you! It’ll happen each time you go through a timeline! This one’s from the original universe! Isn’t that neat! Well? Go on! Say it!” You squinted at the numerals on the front of the box. It didn’t sound so hard. 

“E07048.” Nothing happened.

“Well what was that supposed to-” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“kid? kid, you alright?” You were swept back into the present with a bang, Sans standing over you with a small frown. How that was possible, you didn’t know. The others were gathered around you too, each having the same amount of worried expressions. You stopped to think, looking over the cliff, you remembered where you where.

“Yeah. Just spaced out for a second there. No need to be worried.” You carefully eyed each member of the group, an apologetic smile for their troubles.

“Do NOT do that again, you little punk!” You could tell that they were genuinely worried for your health. Meh. They’d better get used to it. You got to your feet, throwing the icy lake in the distance one last glance before facing the others.

“Sure, I guess.”

“You GUESS?!”

“U-undyne! P-please calm down!” Alphys had started to sweat and had hastily attached herself to Undyne’s elbow.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Echo flowers?”

“yeah. echo flowers. you say one thing to em’ and they’ll repeat it back.” They sounded cool. You could imagine yourself pranking some unsuspecting monster with these flowers. Perhaps.. Maybe they were those ones you saw at the lake.

“What color are they?” He looked taken aback at your question, stopping to think, before answering.

“a sort of bluish green. why?” 

“While I was exploring, I found these flowers near a lake.”

“hold on. you were near a lake?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

“the lake’s pretty far away kid. almost no one goes out there.”

“What. Scared?”

“nevermind. Just make sure not to go using the flowers for bad purposes.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I SHALL FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT, MONSTER CHILD. ANYWAY, WE’RE HERE!” Papyrus had skipped into the vast clearing, the others already there. They were giving you worried glances, mostly from you zoning out. Where was this lot? It was beautiful.  
The lot was big and by big, it was big enough to hold two of the skelebro’s house snugly. There was more than enough snow here, with lots of pine trees fencing off the sides. Icicles hung to the trees along with hardened sap which shone amber in the artificial sunlight. Tiny frozen streams split the ground on the far side. You liked the place.

“SO MONSTER CHILD! WHAT DO YOU THINK?” You motioned Papyrus closer, and whispered into his ear.

“I love it.” And Papyrus gave the loudest cheer in the history of cheers. The others had gotten wind and Sans looked really smug about something, you just couldn’t tell. 

“WELL THEN! WE MUST GO TO TELL BERTHA! SHE’LL WANT TO HEAR THIS!” And with that the group was off. You figured Bertha was the owner of this plot and was who you’d have to pay in order to put anything down. Toriel seemed to notice and took to informing you.

“Bertha is the owner of that plot. The poor girl’s been dying to sell it, and you buying it will make her day.” Wait. What?

“Why would she want to sell it?”

“Almost nobody comes to visit Snowdin, so the lot’s been sitting there for a very long time.” Oh. The trip wasn’t long. You discovering that your lot wasn’t very far from the skeleton brother’s house. It was just a small pathway through the woods. The reason why it took so long was because who had to go down a cliff just to reach it. You, along with the others, had went searching for Bertha, finding her in the librarby. Yea. There was a sign that hung above the doorway and that’s exactly what it said.  
A small bell rang when your group had stepped in. You never noticed the library. It smelled of old books and the smell of hot chocolate. 

“O-oh! Um! Welcome to the library! Yes, we know about the sign.”

“Hello Bertha!”

“Oh? Hello Toriel. Oh! Hello Frisk, Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, Sans, and…?” You realized that you hadn’t introduced yourself. You were about to when Toriel did it anyway.

“This is our young friend, Lion.”

“Oh? What a peculiar name!” You shrugged, finding your name to suit you. You didn’t mind what others thought of your name.

“Our friend here wishes to take that lot off of your hands.”

“W-wha? Come again?” Toriel motioned you to the counter. You took all of your gold and placed it on the counter.

“I wish to partake in buying the lot by the cliff.” Bertha looked so confused. You’d imagine that you too would be befuddled by a child trying to be a whole plot worth of land.

“O-oh! Sorry! Heh. The plot land is worth eight hundred gold.” She counted off eight hundred from the pile, shifting the extra back to you. You took the rest and put it back into your pocket. Bertha looked extremely happy, and you did, in fact, just make someone’s day.

“I’ll need you to come over here for a sec.” You padded over to the other side of the counter, Bertha shifting some papers underneath. She finally pulled out two documents and a pen.

“This one is an agreement to keep in touch about the land and what you plan to do with it. The other is an agreement on owning the land. You really don’t have to read them though. Nobody does. The government just puts it there to frustrate people.” You took the pen and wrote a signature on both documents, pushing them back to her. 

“The land is all yours now! You can do whatever you want with it, as long as you don’t disrupt the neighbors! Well, that all there is to it! Good luck!” You and the group bid Bertha goodbye.

“So you say you’re gonna build a house huh?” Undyne had lumbered up to you. She looked extremely skeptical about the situation. Well, I’m not here to fuck spiders. You nodded.

“And just how are you going to build said house?”

“With sweat, tears, and a lot of elbow grease.” You had a LOT of work to do.

“Let us help!”

“No thank you! I can do it myself!”

“There’s no way a tiny kid such as yourself can build a house!”

“Undyne don’t-”

“Watch me.” And with that, you sassily sashayed down the path to your lot, and victorious grin as you bid the group farewell.

“Undyne!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“you dirty cheater!”

“Hey! I did NOT cheat!”

“you threw yourself off the hood of your sled just to beat me!”

“Nowhere in the rules of sledding, does it say that I cannot do that!”

“yeah, but you could’ve got hurt.”

“But I didn’t so there!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Hey punk!” Undyne had called you over, intentionally away from the others.

“Yes Undyne?”

“Can you make tonight’s game truth or dare?”

“Sure.”

“Sweet! I’ll call Mettaton and send him the details!” You’d met Mettaton when you were hanging with Sans one time. Papyrus was going on a date, (in which you waggled your eyebrows at him intensely), and who else to show up at the door, than a fabulous robot with the most gorgeous legs. Seriously, those legs were finer than the most clearest diamonds. Damn son. Though Sans didn’t seem to like the robot, you didn’t mind. As long as he didn’t hurt Papyrus, you wouldn’t melt their motherboard. But you did ship them. So did Alphys. 

“Oh! And Undyne?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to mention it this time to clear up the earlier confusion.” Last time you guys got together, Undyne and Alphys disappeared somewhere in the house during the middle of the party. You discovered what it was that you were doing and decided to bring it up this time.

“If I pick truth or dare tonight, please refrain from having sex in my closet. I have a guest room. That’s what the soundproof walls and the guest room are for.” Undyne turned lime green under the scales, looking away from you a blushing panic. You could easily hear their… sounds, from the hallway, and just in case if you didn’t bring it up, you actually posted a note on the door that read, word for word’ as following.

‘Please do not have sex in this closet. I had to scrape weird shit off the wall and i’d prefer if I didn’t have to, each get-together. There is a guest room in this house for a reason. Thank you, ~Lion.

“O-okay.”

“Thank you. If you do get frisky, just leave a note on the door. We’re all educated here, no need to get all flustered.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, where do I come in? How am I supposed to help?” You were willing to help. How long has this guy been in here, trapped in the void? Poor guy.

“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. In the beginning of Hotland, there is a lab.” You remembered the lab you came across when you first came to Hotland. You remembered Red and Blue, and wondered if they were still there.

“Seeing as how you don’t know your way through it, I'll guide you there myself. Just follow your SOUL.” You trusted Gaster. He just wanted to live again. Was that such a bad thing? 

“Now, it’s time to wake up.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Don’t forget about us! Make sure to come and visit! ~ Undyne”

“We’ll come to visit you! I hope you enjoy the Underground! ~ Alphys”

“DO MAKE SURE TO COME VISIT US SOON, DEAR FRIEND! ~ PAPYRUS”

“Don’t forget that we care about you. Please, come and visit with us. ~ Toriel”

“Somebody’s got to water the flowers. You’ll see me around. ~ Asgore”

“Stay determined! ~ Frisk”

“take care of yourself because somebody really cares about you, kit. ~ sans” 

“Keep being yourself! ~ Oliver”

“It’s no fun to be alone! Come and visit! ~ Franny & Trevor”

“It was nice to see you again, best friend. ~ Sue”

“Make sure to take care of yourself! ~ Claira”

“ We’ll keep you up to date! ~ Marilyn”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The body of Chara had been disintegrated, nothing but ashes and the smell of burning flesh. Their SOULS had also perished in the blast.

“What-” You stepped out from the shadows, your fiery beasts vanishing without a trace behind you. The body of Claire lay useless. It was over. No more anything. But you still had something to do.

“Lion?! You-” You beckoned out your SOULS, the souls splitting apart almost immediately. While you couldn’t save Claire, you could do something that could equal her sacrifice. Something that would be worth throwing away your final lives away for. The soul of Asgore had stopped charging up, your monster soul taking its place. One life to die for him. Your other soul, the human SOUL, had finally showed it’s true colors. It was a dark emerald green, swirling with faint colors of teal and purple. You had the attribute of KINDNESS, the perfect substitute for Claire. The last life to die for her. You would do this one thing to help them. It would finally give meaning to your life. Your human soul had taken up it’s place beside the six other human souls, circling with your monster soul to fill in the gaps. The process began again, starting where it stopped.

“What are you doing?! You can’t-” Toriel had put a paw on your shoulder, tears falling freely from her eyes. The others were rushing towards you in a blind panic.

“It’s the least I can do. The monsters deserve freedom, and the monsters need their king. I can spare the rest of my lives. After all, what do I have to live for?”

“WAIT!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“In we go!”

“Wait!” The timeline before you had started to glow a bright amber, engulfing you in its depths. 

You’d opened your eyes, finding yourself on a mountain top. It was a bright sunny day and the sky was a forget-me-not blue. Pigeons lazily glided on the warm breeze towards a busy city. 

“Wha-” You knew this place. It was Mt. Ebott. You’d been up this mountain hundreds of times, in different timelines nonetheless. The pale sun sat high up in sky, the smell of cherries and citrus thick. From this height, you could see the outline of Ebott City, the various cherry trees in the forest, lily pad lake,and the remains of your old house. Your feet had automatically started to move, forcing you towards the city.   
Various clusters of honeysuckle and violets dotted the dusty path. That wasn’t there before! You could feel all of the memories flooding back to you. You could remember the soft swish of the streams that ran through the forest, the sound making you skip with joy. It’d been so long since you’d been here. This was your first timeline. The one in which you escaped the aftermath of monsters breaking free of the underground. Didn’t you die in that timeline? Wouldn’t it be a paradox for you to be here?  
You began to run through the forest, the smell of sap and honey lingering in the air. You passed the lake, the burial spot, and even the remains of your house. It’d begun to grow tendrils of basil and bell flowers around the burned beams, some few bees busily buzzing about here and there. You’d no sooner found yourself at the edge of the forest. To your surprise, you found the view to be quite enchanting.   
Ebott City was just as bustling before as it was now, but there was something off about the whole ordeal. But this wasn’t your timeline, and you’d just go back to the anti-void when this was over.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“Ack!” Gear had suddenly appeared from your left side, a wide grin splitting her face. You had held a paw to your chest, gasping for breath.

“Don't *hack* do *wheeze* that!”

“Oh hush! I already know that you’re enjoying yourself. You’re remembering all of the timelines that we’ve been to. Here’s a quiz! How many Sanses do you remember?” 

“How many Sanses? Um.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“you best believe it kid. these rough parts down here ain’t nothing compared to the rest of the underground. you’re lucky that ya’ haven’t run into my boss though. he’d take down a soft monster such as yourself with no problem.”

“Soft? Who are you calling soft? You’re the soft one!”

“watch your mouth, kit.” Sans had flashed you an uneasy grin, a great golden tooth gleaming in Snowdin’s unnatural light.

“SANS! WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?!”

“uh. guess that’s the boss comin’ through. you’d better hide under the counter or you’ll get roughed up real good.” You nodded in agreement and ducked under the sentry counter, squishing yourself between the vast bottles of mustard.

“all right down there kid?”

“Yep!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“get down from there or you’ll fly off into the rest of space.”

“Fine by me!” You’d let go of the pole, your body beginning to float towards the edges of the asteroid.

“come on kit. tori’s gonna throw a fit if i let you disappear into space.” Sans had been trying to get you down from your floating position with a broom. Papyrus was trying to grab you from off the roof.

“YES MONSTER CHILD! I AGREE WITH MY BROTHER! YOU SHOULD COME DOWN FROM THERE!”

“Ok.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“i think the copernicium goes with the beryllium isotopes.”

“Righty-o!” You’d delicately set the small mercury-filled vial next to the box with the chunk of gold. Sans would just put it where it truly belongs later. You turned back to face him, his rolled up lab coat still dragging across the ground. 

“tell gaster that the prototypes will take more time.” He’d faced you, his thin glasses askew on the bridge of his nose.

“Roger that!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“what’s a little lady such as yourself doing out here on a night as cold as this one?”

“Hello G. Don’t mind me. I’m just regretting wearing these satanic wedges in which people call shoes.”

“you mean heels?” The tall skeleton had come to stand by your side as you walked, setting a holed-hand on your left shoulder.

“Yep. Never am I getting Alphys to recommend clothes to me.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taking your two and merging them with those four other Sanses, you got-

“Six. Six Sanses.”

“Bingo! Guess which Sans is in this timeline!”

“Undertale Version?”

“Correct! You’re getting better at this! While we still have time, let’s go to the city!”

 

“Why would we-”

“No time for questions! Come on!” Gear had hauled you onto her back and had taken off, her paws flying over the grass. You’d arrived at the city, Gear hurriedly weaving between people on the sidewalks in her frenzy to get somewhere.

“Wha- how come the humans don’t notice us?” None of the humans were batting an eyelash at you and Gear, the two of you seemingly invisible. 

“Because it’d be a paradox if we were seen. Can you imagine running into our doppelganger here? It’d cause a pandemonium!”

“But aren’t you my wafflehanger? I mean, doppelganger?” 

“Yes, but- quiet you!” Gear had begun to slow down, easily navigating streets and busy corners. 

“So we’re in the city?”

“Yep. You didn’t get a chance to look at it more closely, but since this is a liberated timeline, it means that you did your job and completed the time loop. Monsters now live on the surface! Perhaps we’ll see some of our buddies on the street!” Gear had continued to jog, the two of you passing shops on the way. Traffic was slow, and with it, the inhabitants seemed to meander on the sidewalks. 

“Hold on for a sec. I gotta check something. I’ll be right back.” Gear had set you down on the sidewalk, giving you a quick wink before disappearing. You took a long drag, your amber eyes skimming the parts of the city. Your eyes had suddenly made contact with a pair of eye sockets.

“lion?” Oh shit. It was Sans. Why does this whole anti-void timeline traversing have to be so complicated? Sans had stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk a few paces away and had just started to stare at your form.

“Y-yes? May I help you?”

“how are you-” A bright teal flash had suddenly burst forth.

“Sorry about that! Time passes by slower in the anti-void! Come on now! Who are you-” Gear had also made eye contact with Sans, but then gave a wolfish grin.

“Heya Sansy! Long time, no see! You’ll have to excuse her rambles for a bit! We’ve got a timeline to travel! Wanna come with?” You’d had quite a confused look playing on your muzzle, Gear shooting you a snarky smirk.

“I thought you said that we’d cause a paradox if we were seen?”

“That’s right. Don’t worry. The same thing happened to me when I was in your place.” Sans had gingerly approached, eyeing the two of you with fearful curiosity.

“Oh! That’s right! I’m not supposed to be here for this part! You two have fun! I’ll come to take you back later! Kudos! Wink!” Even though Gear had already said the word, she’d given you a double wink before disappearing again.

“What the heck Gear! What am I supposed to do?!” 

“same thing that i’m wondering.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO DO YOU REMEMBER?


	22. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO'S BACK?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally going to start living up to those precious tags. Prepare yourself for about three chapters of a friendly reunion!

You looked blatantly to Sans. His cautious and unnerving stare made the going much harder. You swallowed and made eye contact.

"Just to be clear, if I hadn't made that clear already, I have no idea how this whole 'uprooting timelines' thing works, so there's no need to think that i'm going to do something. I mean, SOMETHING might happen, but I don't know for sure yet. But... um.. I guess it's nice to see you again..?" You could hardly keep yourself from sweating, Sans's intense stare piercing your amber eyes.

"i'm more worried about how this timeline isn't on the verge of collapsing. you died years ago-" You quickly slammed your paws on Sans’s mouth, shooshing him.

"All this talk about timelines, and you're gonna start one! We're in public Sans. Somebody might overhear us. We should talk about this whole 'timeline shenanigans, you're alive again (for like the tenth time i think) business’ where nosy people aren't lurking around every corner."

"fine. come with me. papyrus will be ecstatic to see you again kit."

"Papyrus? As in, he's okay?"

"yeah. why wouldn't he be okay?"

"... It's nothing you need to worry yourself about. Just me rambling again. So, from what I can see, monsters have successfully integrated with humans..?"

"you're not far off the bill there pal. there's been some hate ever since we've arrived. but it's subsided for now."

"For now..? I see."

"see what?" 

You began to keep pace with Sans as he lead the way, weaving between alleys and crosswalks. Few monsters walked the streets, and those who did were oddly silent, the many glares of the humans, making them extremely uncomfortable. You'd noticed as you walked, a faint snarl forming at the base of your throat. Humans...

"I did warn you against this Sans. I told you that the surface wasn't sunshine and rainbows. Humans will be humans. It comes from their mother's milk, as does my weariness of them. As long as I live, I will always have a grudge against them."

"some of them aren't that bad."

"That's because you haven't seen what i've seen..." Sans had turned to question you, but had reared back quickly as a speeding car had cannoned forth on the street in front of them. You'd stayed on the pads of your feet, watching as the speeding car had hit a trashcan and had continued to race around the block.

"Humans will be humans Sans. Everybody is different, but most have the same morals and that might include the deeply imbedded hatred of something that they can't understand. Say, magic and monsters for instance! I can tell that as SOON as monsters came out of the mountain, the humans were swarming all over you guys, taking safety precautions and making sure that they wouldn’t be harmed. Am I right?"

"yeah, but-"

"Exactly. I grew up knowing the nature of humans. You'd think that they're quite nice and friendly up close, but they're greedy and selfless at the core. It's an undeniable fact. Humans will poke and prod at what they can't understand. It's what happened to me and now it's happening to you. As you've said, 'some aren't that bad', but what about the rest? Are they... perhaps causing a ruckus? Spreading hate? You don't even have to tell me because I know that. That's the whole reason that I wanted to stay in the Underground. So that I wouldn't have to deal with them. Say what you want, but I don't like them."

"so what about frisk and chara?"

"What about them? Chara was first to see their own hatred, and Frisk's never came. They weren't completely innocent, as everybody eventually gets a reality check. Even more so when dealing with humans. The timeline that I come from makes my claim even more sensable."

"your timeline?"

"The one that I just came from. I fell down the mountain, as this time, I REALLY DID FALL DOWN A MOUNTAIN. Well, more like thrown. The reason? Humans had began to destroy themselves in a nuclear warfare and the surface was inhabitable. What makes it even worse was that the monsters are going to die no matter what I do. Sacrifice Frisk or Chara? Everybody gets wiped out by the radioactive surface. Keep the monsters down there? Well... you know exactly what'd happen. They'd slowly start to starve until they died, one by one. Even the boss monsters. You know what's even worse than that? I have to make the main decision between the three options, two being the two outcomes that I just predicted." Sans had hesitated in replying, a steely glint in his sockets.

"and the third?" You'd stopped and stared ahead, a heavy sense of despair and dread settling in your stomach. You'd gazed away from his dim eye sockets and gave a quiet sigh. You were surprised that he was taking all of this information so calmly.

"If i won't do neither, than i'll have to eventually take up my future duty as a timeline regulator. Which i'm doing now. When I gain enough knowledge and regulate my first timeline, then i'll have to destroy my timeline completely. Erase everything forever. Only five other people in my timeline know about this plan... A suicidal plan if you ask me, but four of them are no strangers to death. Neither am I." The pinpricks of light in his eyes had gone completely out at the mention of the word "ERASE". You knew that he'd do this.

"Yeah. I'm a terrible person. I guess you can call me Chara number two. I AM gaining the power of a god here. It's no wonder that Chara would want to stop me from doing this. I should.. probably stop talking."

"no. keep going. so you mentioned that both chara and frisk exist in this timeline?" He peered down at you, a dubious expression on his skull. Small beads of sweat had began to race each other down the side of his skull.

"Heh heh. That's an understatement Sans. For every timeline that I travel to within this universe, your presence is a constant. So is everybody else's. The only thing that's a paradox within a paradox is that i'm the only me in this universe. There are many you-s, and there are many me-s. But each me exists in a different time period. My current timeline is my last timeline before I become a timeline regulator and start messing with the fabric of space. This timeline, the one that I existed in for a short time was my first ever timeline. My home. I can't remember much of any other timeline, except for short blips of other versions of you and everybody else that i've met. To answer your question, yes, both Chara and Frisk exist in my timeline."

"so everybody's the same over there?"

"No. Chara isn't' murderous but they have the tendencies to act vicious, especially towards Frisk. Frisk talks in mine. The difference is that the two are swapped. Well, they're supposed to be."

"swapped? what 'supposed to be' mean?" The two of you had successfully left the city, a heavily housed area surrounding the two of you as you walked. The bright sun was starting to burn the tips of your ears. You wiped away a small string of sweat, taking a few moments to recalibrate your thoughts.

"Everybody in my timeline is the mirrored version of their counterpart. For example, my timeline has a Sans and a Papyrus. You and Papyrus are counterparts, meaning that one cannot exist without the other. If my Sans was to die, than Papyrus would trigger a series of events that would cause the downfall of the timeline branch. Get where I'm going? While my series of timelines are supposed to be swapped, they're not. They still hold heavy traces of the original timeline within them, meaning that my current timeline is a defect. This one is too, though."

"jeez. slow down kid. you're making my head hurt."

"Would you like me to make things simpler?"

"if you could, that'd be nice."

"Fine. This timeline is my first timeline. When I die in one timeline, I go to another one without any memories of the previous one. My timeline that I'm in now is my last one before i become the senorita of space shenanigans. I have to destroy my timeline first. With my weird time powers, i can pop into any timeline at random and do whatever, just as long as it doesn't cause another paradox. I don't have to abide by these rules within this timeline simply because this timeline is used to paradoxes and overlaps. The taller me that keeps popping in and out is my much older self. They are the me before me and when I destroy my timeline, I will take their place. It's one big double reach around."

"i guess i can understand that..?"

"Good, because when I had to take my lecture, I got kidnapped into the bowels of space with another Sans. It was awful. Be grateful that you're not a time lord." 

"another me? what- oh. we're here."

"Is it just me, or is this house another universal constant?" Sans's house, a splitting image from the one back in hellish Snowdin, sat at the end of the massive cul-de-sac, the only missing factor being the large amount of snow. He'd apparently hung up tons of tacky fairy lights to make up for the missing weather article.

"it's a constant."

"Why fairy lights? Why not a giant replica of a diplodocus? Or a man-eating skid?" Sans had said nothing as he'd led you inside, the interior being the same as the house underground. It had more photos hung on the wall, and a particular hoodie sat neatly folded on the arm of a certain lumpy couch.

"Hey! It's that gift sweater that you guys gave me! I feel like it's been an era since i've seen this thing! And it's still got the stitchwork and everything!" You gently picked up the snow white sweater, gazing lovingly at the inspiring stitchwork that your former friends had done. You shed a silent tear.

"yea. i washed it so that Papyrus can bring it with him tomorrow. he loves the thing." You slowly put down the sweater, eyeing the giant house with nostalgia. Suddenly, your mind snapped back to attention.

"Speaking of Paps, where is that charming skeleton?"

"today's his day off. wouldn't be surprised if he went out-"

"SANS!! WE'VE RUN OUT OF SPAGHETTI! I'M GOING TO THE STORE-" The top door on the left had slammed forward on its hinges, a massive silhouette appearing at the top of the banister. It'd suddenly gone quiet. You could hear the birds chirping outside, oblivious as to the oncoming chaos that would shortly ensue.

"you're going to the store? can you pick up some ketchup?" Nice effort Sans. Papyrus's eye sockets were glued onto your small form, huddling behind Sans's massive mass. You were about to retort that there should be plenty of ketchup in the kitchen, but Papyrus had beaten you to the punch.

"BROTHER. WHO IS THAT BEHIND YOU?" 

"oh this? it's a pinata. shaped like a friend. got it for a discount." You couldn't resist scowling at the short skeleton. A discount? A sudden mental image of you being a pinata flashed through your mind. You were hanging from a thick metal rope, wildly thrashing about as Undyne excitedly beat the shit out of you with a dulled spear.

"PINATAS DON'T MOVE. NOR DO THEY BREATHE. LET ME INSPECT THIS "PINATA" FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS." Shit. You kept absolutely still, due to Sans's whispered orders. How long were you two going to go along with this? Papyrus had elegantly traipsed down the wooden stairs coming face to face with this "friend pinata." Thankfully, you'd had your eyes closed.

"it's a new rendition. makes it look more alive."

"BUT THAT WOULD ANTAGONIZE PINATA SELLERS GREATLY! AND IT’S CREEPY. THAT DOES NOT MAKE THE SLIGHTEST OF SENSE!" You'd realized your mistake too late, as both of your ears had gave an involuntary shudder. At that precise moment, Papyrus had seized you by the neck of your sweater and had hoisted you off of the ground. You decided that it was about time that you ended these pinata shenanigans.

"Hola Senor." It'd came out as a hoarse whisper. And yet, Papyrus had kept his grip on you.

"SANS! THIS IS NOT A PINATA!"

"maybe if we give it a sombrero and a mustache-"

"ENOUGH OF THIS BOONDOGGLERY! THIS IS NO PINATA! THIS IS.... IS...." Papyrus had hastily dropped you, correcting his next words with a fearful and confused look. You’d decided to speak again.

"Now I know what you're thinking, and it's not about spaghetti. Or.. maybe..? Yes, I'm real. No, you're not overdosed on bath salts. Or at least I hope ( papyrus had questioned what bath salts were) It is I, your old friend who died a long time ago and then miraculously came back from the dead, but I've been very much alive, thank you very much. What I'm trying to say, is that I'm here and queer." Sans had given a little chuckle before coming over to stand next to you.

"what she says is true bro. she's here on some weird assortment of timeline shenanigans."

"Yes. Listen to the short skeleton. Tis true."

"short?"

"Yes. How long am I even supposed to be here? I guess that Gear will pop in with some glitter and confetti and scream, "Hooray! It's time to go back home!" and then I won't be here for quite a long time. But it's nice to be-" Papyrus had enveloped you in a tight hug, squeezing every last drop of air out of your small body. You gave a gasp for air, Papyrus holding you harder.

"YOU'RE BACK?! AS IN, YOU'RE NOT DEAD?!"

"Well, I DID die, but I just continued life in another timeline. One of these days, you're gonna end up fracturing my ribs, Papy." You'd given a hoarse wheeze, watching dazed as Sans had disappeared into the kitchen. Papyrus had roughly sat you down on the lumpy couch, refusing to take his eyes off you. He'd went to go fetch something from the linen closet. As he returned, he'd handed you a thick wool blanket and a very large pillow.

"I SUPPOSE THAT SPAGHETTI WILL HAVE TO WAIT. TELL ME ALL ABOUT YOUR ESCAPADES, LI-" The door had almost flew off of its hinges, a gruff voice from the outside screeching to its inhabitants, constantly pounding on the door. Sans had suddenly appeared from the kitchen, a phone loosely held in his phalanges. Dammit Sans.

"Yo Sans! Open up this door or i'll rip it off of its hinges!"

"U-Undyne, no!" Too late. Before Sans or Papyrus could call back, the door had flew forward from its hinges, landing a meter away. Undyne, Alphys, and Toriel had all clamored inside. You were quick to hide yourself under the thick blanket that Papyrus had given you. Shaking slightly, you remained still, your breathing at a stand still. Nobody knew. Heh.

"Sans! Where's the dead nerd?" You could hear the small shuffling of feet and some heavy footfalls a few feet away.

"beats me. i guess she bailed."

"Pardon me, but it seems as though Undyne had told me that you'd seen Lion. Is that claim suddenly a false statement?" Something had suddenly made to sit on you. You'd given a high pitched screech and fell off the couch, entangled deeply in the warm blanket.

"What the heck?!" You'd felt two strong sets of arms tightly enclose around the blanket, each attempting to pull it apart. You'd suddenly felt fresh air on your ears.

"O-oh my."

"You guys keepin' her hostage or something? Yo kid? Can you hear me? Say something!"

" *long gasp of air* HII UNDYNE!" You screeched from inside the blanket, desperately trying to free yourself in the struggle.

"Yo punk! Can you get free?"

"I can try!" The pair of arms had sat you down on the ground. With a strong heave, you pushed your arms above your head, gripping the opening of the blanket prison. It took a couple of minutes but you'd finally ripped yourself free. You now lay on the carpeted floor gasping for breath. Never again.


End file.
